Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1918-03-09
NEW ORGANIZATION
MAINE PRODUCERS

A4 A1XNG i xC\/OOOG4SO
In response to a call issued by E. A.
Rogers of Brunswick. a number of inter-
ested Maine producers assembled in Al
gusta last Thursday to consider the or
ganization of committee of publicity
for producers.
The object of the meeting may bes: be
understood by studying the opening &C.
marks of Mr.. Rogers. who was elected
chairman:
Gentlemen:
We have met here for a purpose not OF
criticism or faultfnding, but for the bet
| terment Of ourselves and our fellow men,
not only Of our own country, but of the
| world. Let me set forth briefly cond-
lions as they are abroad, which affects
us here in America
Today the world is in agony from the
greatest, most cruel war Of which we
have record This does not apply alone
to the battlefronts, but to millions back
Of the firing lines. whose agony from
slow starvation Is far greater than we
here in our beloved country can have any
conception Of Hundreds Of thousands Of
little children. beloved by their parents
even as ours are beloved by us. fall to
stages of slow starvation Old men and
women who have reached the age where
they cannot longer contribute by their
labor to the success OF their armies in
the field, are deliberately being refused
food, dying of hunger in their old age.
III order that the younger and more use
full might live
We who have gathered here must take
these conditions into account whether we
would Or not Were the war to cease to-
day, our depleted stores of food wolld
not suffice to save millions from starva-
ticn, weakened and unable to help them
selves as they are. Yet so much of what
We nave viii be taken, that serious con-
dltlnns will confront US here in our be-
loved !and-conditions which Will change
our previous conceptions of good citizen
ship when the idle will be despsed and
scorned instead of being aped and courted
as in the past When food riots in she
cities force our government through the
food commission to take more and more
drastic steps in the distribution and prs
duction of food, can this be done without
grave mistakes, some of which will be
nearly as serious as are the conditions
member this. those of US who are gath.
cred here, that no matter how Just tie
Judge. no just decision can be handed
down when only one side of any case is
heard
We who are producing food for the ma
tloA have far greater conception of he
problem confronting us than can anyone
from any other station in life If We,
then, fail to keep those who may have
charge of this wori, fully informed as %
our problems, We are ourselves partly to
blame for any failure, part failure or in
justice which they may make or time
bring forth.
There are today many evidences that
there will be slowing up of production
/ the coming season. not from any lack Of
Patriotism' but from want of just ur-
derstandlng between the producer and
those in charge Of food distribution
Take the case of many potato growers
in Aroestook county who have not vet re-
celved cars ordered in December in which
to ship their crops to market-potato
J growers who lined cars at a cost to than
Of from SIS to 500. with the understand
ing that the cars. were to be returned to
them at once after being unloaded. In
many cases, these cars were never re
turned for the second load. This has re-
suited in many having large portion of
their crop still on hand, besides the mon
etary loss of lining the car. Even this.
serious as 1t is. is not the worst feature
from national point of view, as II has
tended to decrease the use of notatoes 40
food BY the city people, the one food n,o-
duct OF which the country had an abund-
ance. II this results in glutted markets
and prices to the grower lower than the
cost of production many growers will not
he IN a position, no matter how willing
they may be. to plant as large acreage as
last year.
me recent ruling by the food admins
tratlon, forbidding owners Of poultry
from killing laying hens from Feb. q un-
u! May !, is another case of good tnten-
TONS going wrong. and would not have
been promulgated could those deciding
unon this action have known the feeling
or poultry owners regarding it, This one
ruling WILL without doubt, discourage
1921 production to the extent of thou
/ sands of tons.
Are we as farmers and food producers
entirely blameless for this state of affairs
I when we have failed to organize and he
IN 2 position to inform the proper al
thorities in manner to command .helr
i attention. of the effect such ruling will
nave on production? Would it not have
been possible. had we had a publ ,itv
committee of farmers embracing the
j whole state, to have drought pressure
enough TO bear to very materially havA
increased the number of cars allowed me
potato growers of Aroostook?
Again, we need a medium of commu,T
cation reaching practically every farmer
IN the State. We have not in the past
been able to get our daily pa pers to NIB.
lish letters or articles setting forth the
farmers point of view on problems .ha
confront them The city press has. as y
rule, seemed only to consider the ron
sumers' side of the food problem. forget
ting that If the producer did not get m
adequate return for his labor, that sooner
or later food shortage would be the in
II eyitaDle reSult Had tbo