The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1918-01-11
DON'T FORGET THE FARMER.


Farmers as a class are not entirely
satisfied with the present outlook for
them from a business standpoint, and
there seems to be ample cause for this
feeling of unrest and uneasiness. In
the first place, farmers realize that if
the United States is to be on the win
ming side in this great war they have
an important duty to perform, and
moreover they are putting forth every
effort to perform that duty. They
know that every rod Of available land
sa every farm must produce maxi
mum supply of foodstuffs. The labor
shortage last year before we had barely
started to get ready for war, presages
. serious situation as time goes on and
more and more of our stalwart young
men are called to the colors. Then
again government price fixing, it would
seem, has not always given the farmer
square deal. For instance a maximum
price is fixed on wheat; but the farmer
has no assurance Of a stated or fixed
price on a single item that he may need
to produce the crop, and besides he sees
-four selling for practically the same
price as when he was getting a dollar
more per bushel for his wheat. Last
year he was urged to plant maximum
acreage Of potatoes, and while no price
was fixed, he was given some assurance
at least that potatoes would all be need
ed at good price. He accordingly
paid an enormous price for the seed, a
eorrespondingly high wage for labor to
plant and care for the crop, and after
droughts and early frosts had short
ened the crop at least one-half, he is
having hard shedding to find a market
for the tubers at any price. The price
has been fixed on sugar beets, but it is
much lower than the price paid in other
markets, hence the shortage of sugar.
It isCnot our purpose to criticise the
administration in any particular. The
Lord knows that our president and his
official family have mighty heavy
load to carry and every one is undoubt-
edly doing his level best, and pretty
good job at that, =. But there is some.
thing radically wrong With the system
somewhere. The principal object of fix
ing the price on any article of produce
is to stimulate and increase the pro-
duction of that particular product, but
there is grave danger of just the oppo-
site effect. Take the coal situation, for
instance. There never was such short
age Of coal $50 far as the consumer is
concerned) in the history of the world
as now, when the selling price is fixed.
If the price of the farmers raw prod
uct is fixed by government control
then there should also be fixed price
fthe same product, fixed by the same
government when il. reaches the con
sumner. If what the farmer raises is
sold at a price fixed by the government,
then what he has to purchase to grow
the crop should also be fixed by gov.
eminent control. This price fixing bust
ness is a mighty big problem, and un-
less it can be so extended and regulated
rs TO provide an equitable relation be-
tween producer and consumer and pro-
vide a square deal for the farmer, upon
whom so much depends in this crisis, il
is doomed to failure.
Let US not forget then, when we are
having troubles to make both ends
meet, that tbe farmer is not immune
from the same difficulty. Notwithstand
ing the present uncertainty, however
there will be no sulkinx in the traces
~ TIE pas6 of the farmer. He realizes