The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-03-04
THE FARMERS SIDE.
"A Dtfsnce Of the High Prices Of Hogs.
IL. Wheat and Corn.

a Defence Of the High Prices Of HOGS,
- Wheat and Corn.
To vHs Eprron or THs sur-Siy: ]
isots that THE Sun criticises the Food
Administration for holding up the price
Of hoks for February. Moro than year
ago the farmers were urged TO raise
moro hogs and were told they would be
protected on the price. Had this not
been done. meat would have been 20
scarce that the price would have been
much higher than II now IL.
But you complain of war prices In
time OF peace. II takes a year to raise
q hog II has to be fed high priced corn
for . year these hogs were eating corn
worth from $3.50 to s1.sb a bushel all
last year. and TO sell them for less than
10 cents q pound on the farm would be
losing money--and after freight and
shrinkage are deducted 10 cents In all
the farmer gets.
The farmer raises the hogs, feeds their
mothers for months also, and his wages
and those Of his help. his pay for his
corn, his profits and freight charges all
come out OF that $3.50 hog price. This
even pays the help that raised the corn.
and with all this expense, how much
would you cut the price to get the price
Of ham reduced7 There 10 - cents the
pound added after the market stage IL
reached do you not think there IL the
place to make the reduction?
Now while writing i will say some
thing about the s22s wheat price. The
farmers never wanted Q price nxed on
wheat. When wheat was selling at S3.os
a bushel. the price was put back to 81,
II likely would have gone to -. 1t Is es-
timated that this cost the farmers $780,
100000. Again. to keep the world from
starving and to keep wheat from being
actually worth ~ In the market again.
from a supply and demand standpoint,
the Government guaranteed the price At
$22s and kept -four from being from s1S
to $40 a barrel. instead of $40
I shall also speak Of the price Of corn
Wages have been boosted until tho
farmer Inns had to pay three times az
much for labor as formerly. His farm
machinery. his clothing. his coal and
everything he buys are doubled In price.
His taxes are more than 81 an acre.
WhcEo tn0y WCTo tcDo NuAh W. eUu no
borrows money at per cent to buy
Liberty bonds. The price for husking
corn formerly was 3 cents bushei. and
now It averages nearly 9 cents and
board.
He cannot produce corn at even &1.25
bushel under these circumstances. We
raised very little moro than half q crop
of corn In 1913, and II Is a very expen-
sive crop to raise, and for the farmer to
make expenses and living for his
family. he has to have at least $3.50 for
IL The prices OF grain cannot come
down until the cost OF producing II Is
reduced.
Recently the New York Produce Ex-
change and other Eastern exchanges
passed resolutions asking that In the in
terest Of reducing tho cost of living the
guarantee prices be removed. and have
q letter from the commercial editors OF
a great daily newspaper saying that
certain Spectators sold corn short on
the Chicago Board OF Trade so they
would get immense profits in the reduc-
ton The Food Administration let down
the bars to Argentine corn. and because
Of sentiment and the market dope Of a
bearish nature put out, the price Of corn
was reduced 80 cents a bushel. and the
Eastern spectators profited. but the
| turning point came. and many of them
covered at loss
Why should farmers who pay IS a day
for labor on land worth $500 an acre
| have to compete with corn raised by
! labor costing 81 day and on land cost
ing $50 an acre? Does Argentina buy
our bonds or pay any of our taxes?
But when the spectators, by the helr
Of free corn from Argentina, put the
price OF corn down, our farmers did no,
sell for two reasons: II cost more thar
was offered to produce the corn. and
when a farmer had any surplus he sold
| to other farmers for feed at a much
| higher price. More than two-thiris Of
the crop of 1918 has already been fec
! IN less than four months, and there /.
not now more than a fraction OF enough
corn remaining on the farms to feed tn,
i've stock until a new crop comes abou
November I. The acreage OF the 1911!
crop of corn will be much reduced re
cause of the competition OF Argent,
sorn. and the price of hogs and corr
will consequently be very high for tn,
rext year.
| Farmers organizations are beiui
formed throughout the farming com
munities. and they will demand that tn,
farmer who works twelve hours dali!
shall receive wages on an equality with
the city laborer who works eight hours
The farmers are the only class of work