The Oskaloosa herald. (Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa) 1885-1919, 1917-03-29
NO CAUSE FOR GROWING ExcIT1
ED SAYS SEC, HOUSTON
To Be sure, PFices Have Gone Out of
Sight, But There Is No Real
Shortage in the Land.

Et o. 49, %k
The secretary of agriculture has
solved the problem. He finds the peo-
pie waste too much and do not save
enough Which probably explains the
high cost of living. He also explains
that there is no need Of becoming ex-
cited, as there is plenty Of everything
people need in the land, although pric-
es have been pushed out of sight.
Which will be great consolation to the
! folks with small wages and big fam
lilies with healthy appetites. Ezt
The Christian Science Monitor has
been talking with the secretary and
reports as follows:
Secretary Houston OF the United
States Department Of Agriculture, who
lis no doubt as well qualified as any
+, one to estimate the food producing
capacities of the farms, ranches, and
ranges of the United States, says that
The solution of the present problem of
the high cost of table necessaries lies
III greater production from the land
and in less wastefulness in the homes.
no one, probably, will question the
correctness of the secretary's estimate
as to the possibility of the agricultur-
al sections furnishing far greater sup
: plies of food than are now being pro
duced. But the farmer must have an
! incentive for increasing the volume of
his products. Without assured facili-
ties for distribution, and a reasonable
prospect that he will receive more in
cash for the larger, that he is now re
iceiving for the smaller volume of his
products, he will be cautious about in
Icreasing his overhead expense. This
fact is now being impressed by the at
titude OF the cotton growers in the
southern part of the United States.
With the present high price of cotton,
there has been manifested in some
lscctions, a determination to increase
this years acreage to very consider
liable extent, But this tendency is being
! counteracted by an organized move
,ment, said TO be headed by the larger
planters, which has for its purpose the
/ limiting of the crop so as to force
continuance of the present prices. The
argument is that there is more profit
in one cotton bale at $50 than there
| is in three bales at $50 each. And this
argument is hard to combat. Farmers
and planters, like most other people,
are not disposed to labor for the mere
amusement derived from the occupa-
| ton. - ,ss
Secretary Houston makes the some
what startling statement that families
in the United States waste more than
$500 900, 900 worth of edibles annually,
and that, with a single commodity
lshorter than usual in production. this
practice has serious effect. But he in
sIsts that now, while so many people
ARC concerned because of the excess
sNe cost of nearly every article which
they buy for the table, there is no
cause for undue excitement, Because
There is no actual shortage, although
| the yield Of both wheat and potatoes
last year was below the average. He
believes that intelligent planning and
constructive action" not arbitrary
price fixing, is the means of solving
the problem.
The secretary says that as nation
the people of the United States seem
to have a disdain for saving. He finds
/ that in the family of slender means
the waste is slight, but that in the fam
Iilj of moderate or ample means 1t is
CONSIDERABLE Thus presented, this eco
nomic problem should interest millions
Of housewives. Many, no doubt, will
! disclaim any lack of prudent and eco
'nomical management in the larder and
the kitchen. But II would do no harm
for homemakers generally to ask them
lsclves if they are taking part in the
Intelligent planning and constructive
faction" which the secretary recon-
/ me nds. Good management does not
lend when the market basket arrives.
I filled with carefully selected articles,
bought at the lowest price consistent
with the quality There is still abund
tant opportunity fof waste in the pre-
paration of the materials, and in the
care and utilization of the remnants.
money at the prevailing prices.