New Britain herald., 1918-01-31
FATE Of COUNTRY
INEARMERS' HANDS
CONTINUED From First Page).

term to which they are entitled, which
| it is imperativeIy necessary should be
| extended to them if the present TASKS
| of the country are to Dc adequately
| performed. Both by direct purchase
of ritrates and by the establishment
of plants to produce n]tratos, the gov
! eminent is doing its utmost to assist
in the problem of fertilization. The
| departrr ent Of agriculture and other
agencies are assisting the farmers to
locate, safeguard and secure at cost
an adequate supply of sound seed. The
department has $2,500,00 available
for this purpose now and has asked
the congress for Sc, 900 900 more.
| THE labor problem is one of great
, difficulty and some of the best agen-
/ cies of the nation are addressing
| themselves to the task of solving it, so
| far as it is possible to solve it. Farm
| ers have not been exempted from the
draft T know they would not wish
to be- take it for granted they would
not wish to be put in a class by them
selves in this respect. But the atten-
ton of the War department has been
seriously conferred upon the task of
interfering with the labor of the farms
as little as possible, and under the
new draft regulations I believe the
farmers of the country will find their
supply of labor is very much less Sc
rlously drawn upon than it was under
the first and initial draft, made before
we had our present full experience in
these perplexing matters. The supply
Of labor in all industries is a, matter
we must look to and are looking to
with diligent care.
'And let me say that the stimulate
ing OF the agencies I have enumerated
has been responded to by the farmers
in splendid fashion. I dare say 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 farm
ers in Europe. 1t is not necessary
they should do so. 1t would, per-
haps, be bad economy for them to
attempt it. But they do produce by
two to 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 labor saving devices than any
other farmers in the world. And their
response to the demands of the pres
ent emergency has been in every way
remarkable. Last spring their plant
ing exceeded by 100000 acres the
largest planting of any previous year,
and the increases from the crops were
record breaking yields. In the fall of
1917 a wheat acreage Of 42,17O,00O
was planted which was one million
larger than for any preceding year,
three millions greater than the next
largest, and several millions greater
than the preceding five-year acreage.
But I ought to say to you it is
not only, necessary that these achieve
ments should be repeated, but that
they should be exceeded. I know
what this advice involves. It involves
not only labor, but sacrifice, the pain
stalking application of every bit Of
scientific knowledge and every tested
practice that is available. 1t means
the utmost economy, even to the point
where the pinch comes. 1t means
the kind of concentration and self
sacrifices which is involved in the
field of battle itself, where the object
always looms greater than the in
dividual And yet the government will
help and help in every way that it is
possible. The impression which pre-
walls in some quarter that while the
government has sought to fix the
prices of foodstuffs it has not sought
to fix other prices which determine
the GAp6IlSCS Oh the lcIDlSf, is a his
taken one. AS a matter Of fact, the
government has actively and success
fully regulated the prices of many
fundamental materials underlying all
the industries Of the country and has
regulated them not only for the
purchases Of the government but also
for the purchascs Of the general pub
lie and 1 have every reason to be-
ieve congress will extend the powers
of the government in this important
matter, SO that the tendency Of prof.
teering which is showing itself in too
many quarters, may be effectively
checked. In fixing the prices Of food
stuffs, the government sincerely has
tried to keep the interests of the
farmer as much in mind as the in
terests of the community which are
to be served, but is serving mankind
as we'll as the farmer and everything
in these times of war tasks on the
rigid aspect of duty.
II will not appeal to you to con-
tinue and renew and increase your
efforts I do not believe it is neces-
sary to do so. You understand as we'll
as I do the needs and opportunities of
this great hour when the fortunes of
mankind everywhere seem about to
be determined and when Am erica has
the greatest opportunity she has ever
had to make good her own freedom,
and in making it good to lend help
ing hand to men struggling for their
freedom everywhere. You rem Der
that the farmers from whom came
the very first shots at Lexington that
set afan1e the revolution that made
America free. 7 hope and believe the
farmers of America will willingly and
conspicuously stand by to win this
war also. The toll, the intelligence,
the energy, the foresight, the self-sac-
rifice and devotion of the farmers of
America will, I believe, bring to q
triumphant conclusion this great last
war for the emancipation of men