The Greeneville daily sun. (Greeneville, Tenn.) 1918-1920, 1918-05-30
EDUCATIONAL DIRECTOR FOR
FOOD ADMINISTRATION ASKS
FOR INTENSIVE WORK.
AETH0Ds Of PRICE FIXING
Patriotism Of Tennessee Farmers Ap.
pealed to in Effort to Stimulate
Food Production During
Duration OF War.

week J, l. Finney, educational director
Of the United States Food Administra-
tiol in Tennessee, made an earne.
and eloquent plea to the producers to
redouble their efforts for the winning
OF the war He discussed the relations
between the food administration and
the farmers, speaking in part as fol
lows:
The food administration has been
criticized because 1t has fixed the
prices OF certain farm products, while
at the same time making no effort to
fix the prices OF the implements and
the tools and the labor that make up
the cost of those products 1t is a
popular misconception to think OF the
food administration as primarily a
| price-fixing institution. 1t is not.
Only in the rarest instances has II
used the price-fixing power, and then
only when conditions over whichR 1t
had no control made the exercise OF
this power imperative, il it were really
to perform its mission and render eff
fective service to nation walking in
the valley OF the shadow Of death.
Arbitrary price-fixing is economically
unsound ! do not think that state
ment will be- seriously controyerted.
In ordinary times, when men are per.
mitted to pursue their peaceful avo-
cations In life, the laws Of supply and
demand provide the best method for
price determination. But this is an
extraordinary time. Nothing is nor
NAL in war. Especially Is that true in
a democracy, instituted for peace, not
war. We must for the common good
do many things that we would not toll
crate in times of peace. But with
| the nation engaged in a life-and-death
struggle for its existence, with nearly
half Of the world on the cross, with
3 Gethsemane in every home in the
land, surely, surely we cannot hest
tate to take any action necessary to
solve any problem merely because we
have no presidents,
l appreciate the fact that farming
involves factors that make II impos-
sible to fix fair and equitable profit,
and | do not believe that any one will
insist that because farmer makes a
bumper crop this year of certain
product and sells II for an unusually
high price that his profits in all farm
ing operations can be fairly or justly
estimated over a period of years from
the returns that he received from
that one commodity. Take wheat, for
example. 1t is true that the govern
ment guarantee Is higher than the
pre-war average by more than 100 per
cent, but he would he short-sighted
individual who would argue that be-
cause Of this fact the growers Of
wheat In Tennessee were on the
high road to wealth Even should
weather conditions continue favor.
able and the farmers OF Tennessee
make an average wheat yield this
year. their profits would not be large.
Everything that enters into the cost
OF wheat has largely increased That
is not all last year the wheat crop
of this state was almost total fail
ure. Hundreds and thousands OF
acres never saw . reaper The money
loss was almost complete. That is
often the case with the farmers crops.
We hear much OF the bumper corn
crop Of last year among the people OF
my section OF the state and of the ex.
ceptionally high prices received for It,
but not word about those awful
drouths OF 1913, 1914 and 1915, when
our yield was less than half OF the
average. The farmer battles with the
elements, he Is In constant combat
with both the seen and the unseen
forces OF nature, over which, at best,
he exercises but an Indifferent con.
troll. His crop Is constantly assailed
by insects and blights and rust and
drouth and floods and hail and winds
His Is no ROYAL road 70 wealth or ease.
The price OF wheat was fixed al
t2.20, not to bride the farmers Of this
nation with dreams OF wealth or tc
satiate their avaricious appetites fol
gain, but 1t was fixed at that price
because II was believed that IL would
guarantee them protection against the
sDeculator and would at least insure
them a fair return for their expendi
ture OF brain and Drawn and capital
while at the same time giving bread
the great staff Of zhfe,sto the millions
Of workers who are NOT producers Of
food. but whose efforts in the nations
behalf are absolutely essential to Its
existence. The food administration haa
sought to deal fairly and justly be
tween the farmers and the consumers
II has denied and repeat with all
the emphasis at my command that the
farmers Of America ask no spec al ia,
vors OF government; they would be
the first to bitterly resent the imputa
ton that they wanted to be a favored
and petted class.
More than that, my friends, this wal
cannot be won without the wheat o,
/ the American farmer II is just as
essential to our victory n this awful
conflict as is the powder and the shot
and shell With which we are armine
the forces Of destruction. England
and France, who alone, without oui
| aid, for nearly three long and soul-try
ing years, kept burning the feeble
flame OF human liberty In Europ
would starve without the wheat from
| American farms. What they have they
must ultimately pay for. We hold
their solemn obligation for every bush,
Ell that has been exported to feed their
gallant sons. whose deathless valoF
against overwhelming odds makes one
OF the brightest pages In all history.