The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1918-02-07

agricultural organization Ii euC WIN
F. The banking legislation of the
last two or three years has given the
farmers access to be great lendable
capital of the country and it has be-
come the duty both of the men in
charge of the federal reserve banking
system and of the farm loan banking
system to see to it that the farmers
obtain the credit, both short term and
long term to which they are entitled
not only but which it is imperatively
necessary should be extended to them
if the recent tasks of the country are
to be adequately performed. Both di-
rect purchase of nitrates and by the
establishment of plants. to produce nj
trates the government is doing its
utmost to assist in the problem of fer
tilization. The Department of Agricul-
ture and other agencies are actively
assisting the farmers to locate, safe
guard and secure at cost an adequate
supply of sound seed. The depart
ment has $2,500,000 available for this
purpose and has asked the Congress
for 100000 more.
''The labor question is one of the
great problems to solve. Farmers have
not been exempted from the draft. l
know they would not wish to be. l
take it for granted they would not
wish to be put in a class by themselves
in this respect. But the attention of
the War department has been very
seriously conferred upon the task of
interfering with the labor of the farms
as little as possible and under the new
draft regulations believe that the
farmers of the country will find that
their supply of labor is very much less
seriously drawn upon than it was un-
der the first and initial draft, made be-
fore we had our present full expert
ence in these perplexing matters. The
supply of labor in all industries is a
matter we must look to and are look
ing to with diligent care.
Farmers Respond Splendidly.
"And let me say that the stimula-
ton of the agencies have enumerat-
ed has been responded to by the farm
ers in splendid fashion. I dare say
that you are aware that the farmers
of this country are as efficient as any
other farmers in the world. They do
not produce more per acre than the
farmers in Europe. 1t is not necessary
that they should do so. 1t would per-
haps be bad company for them to at
tempt it. But they do produce by two
or three or four times more per man,
per unit of labor and capital, than the
farmers of any European country.
They are more alert and use more la
Dor saving services than any other
farmers in the world. And their re-
Spouse to the demands of the present
emergency has been in every way re-
markable. Last spring their planting
exceeded by 100000 acres the larg-
est planting of any previous year, and
the yield from the crops were record
breaking yields in the fall of 1917. A
wheat acreage of AZ, 100000 was plant
ed, which was 100000 larger than
for any preceding year, 100000
greater than the next largest and
100000 greater than the preceding
five-year average.
"But 1 ought to cay to you that it
is not only necessary that these
achievements should be repeated but
that they should be exceeded, know
what this advice involves. 1t involves
not only labor but sacrifice, the pains
taking application of every bit of
scientific knowledge and every tested
practice that is available 1t means
the kind of concentration and self-sac-
rifice which is involved in the field of
battle itself, where the object always
looms greater than the individual and
yet the government will help and help
in every way possible. The impression
which prevails in some quarters that
while the government has sought to
fix prices of foodstuffs, it has not
sought to fix other prices which de-
termine the expenses of the farmers is
a mistaken one. AS matter of fact,
the government has actually and sue
cessfully regulated the prices of many
fundamental materials underlying all
the industries of the country and has
regulated them not only for the pur-
chase Of the government but also for
the purchase of the general public, and
l have every reason to believe that
Congress will extend the powers of the
government in this important and
even essential matter, so that the
tendency of profiteering which is
showing itself in too many quarters
may be effecfually blocked. In fixing:
the prices of foodstuffs the govern
ment has sincerely tried to keep the
interests of the farmer in%mind as the
interests of the communities which
are to be served, but it is serving man
kind as vel las the farmer and every
thing in these times of war takes on
the rigid aspect of duty.
Says Appeal Unnecessary.
l.