The Fayette falcon. (Somerville, Tenn.) 190?-current, 1918-11-01
Promises Are Not Filling

The nations feed bin is bullying with
secrets but not with feed.-at least not
feed that can be obtained at fair prices
or in reasonable time. Last fall the
Food Administration promised the farm
er manufacturers, who are as greatly
in need of raw materials as are other
manufacturers, that every effort would
be made to have feed prices reduced SO
that the necessity for higher prices
would not be so urgent as to keep them
awake nights.
The promises kept coming and finally
bore fruit in series of regulations that
were to take effect about the first Of
the year. They provided that bulk
bran should be sold at the mill for not
more per ton than thirty-eight per cent
OF. the cost to the mill of ton of wheat.
Other mill feed prices were based on
the bran price: The men who owned
herds Of capacious cows got down on
their knees and gave fervent thanks.
However, they did not remain long in
this posture.
The real test of promise is its full
filiment, and so far the results have
been negligible in benefit to the farm
er. He is still kicking. but he appears
to be in the position Of a man hanged
l'by the neck. He can do all the kick
ing he wants to, with the net result of
little skin off his own shins,
The universal complaint is that no
feed can be obtained for prices any
where near those provided by the Food
Administration regulations. Many deal
ers get 100 per cent above those figures.
One farmer writes that he applied to
local miller for feed and was told that
he had none, but that possibly certain
broker could supply him. This middle
man had feed to sell at price that he
fixed to suit himself.
Local dealers say they are unable to
get feed from any source at prices in
accord with the government figures,
and that. it is almost impossible to get
any delivered. When accused of pro-
fiteering they assume the hurt-patriot
expression and persist that they are
doing business on the smallest possible
margin.
But in spite of all protestations of
innocence someone IS squeezing thru,
crawling under or jumping over the law.
There are quantities of feed in the
country that should be in use now. A
Food Administration worker who is
giving his time to the feed situation
said short time ago that there was
enough feed in cars, supposed to be in
transit, to keep Eastern farmers sup
piled until grass, Some of these cars,
he said, were loaded in October and
November, and many Of them in Dec
ember. Probablyif we could have eat
less days for cows and pigs some Mo-
ses might have appeared to show the
way out, but animal sppetites cannot
be stayed by addresses and promises.
1t is evident that somebody, intent
ionally or otherwise, is putting sand in
the bearings and soap on the tracks.
This is the only conclusion we can. ar
rive at, unless we believe the muddle
is due to laundering incompeteDcy,
Have men interested 10 keeping up the
price of these feeds wOrmed their
weeviy way into the management Of
this problem? If that is true it is time
to use liberal dose Of carbon ,bisu..
phide in cur national feed bin.
The fact we can all be sure about is
that the man who needs these feeds is
not getting the treatment he was
promised and had a right to expect.
The little retailer with jam on face
pleads innocence and passes the buck
to the wholesaler, who passes the hot
thing on to the commission agent, and
50 on nd infinitum in the hope that the
temperance will drop.
There is a dsrk.visaged profiteer
somewhere in the chain, and it is up
to the Food Administration to put a
savage, hairy hand on bis neck before
he does any more damage, Grass will
probably be lush and green when the
farmer begins to feel the relief, but
past experiences warn US to start ear
" on next years job. b.-COuntry Gentle
man.