The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1919-03-12
CHAMBER or COMMERCE.
ENJOYS SMOKER
Continued from Page One.)

The people do not object to paying for
road Improvement, and it is his opin-
ion that the sentiment Of the citizens
Of the State is decidedly in favor of
the proposed legislation on the sub
jcct. He concluded by urging the
banishng of the hound dog and the
oblitcratiOn of ignorance.
The address OF Soil surveyor Smith
was amply illustrated with charts,
diagrams and several soil survey maps
In his discussion he showed that many
prices arc relatively not high, for the
reason that all prices have avanccd. BY
the charts he showed that bank de-
posts had doubled since 1914 and that
this increase in currency had caused
tiles. Food had increase on the whole,
with some exceptions, to double the
1914 rate He stated that the price
Of producing a crop Of food for home
use had not doubled, due to the fact
that the farmer alone grow, or should
grow great portion OF his foodstuffs
at home. This gave him an occupa-
tional advantage above all other class
cs. Turning to the question Of all
farm produce, the showing for the
farmer was even more gratifying Al
though the cost Of production had in
creased greatly, it was not double what
it was in pre-war times. On the other
hand everything the farmer sold had
just about doubled, whereas cotton had
quadruplcd over the 1914 price. The
speaker then stated that corn could be
produced here for less than SO cents
per bushcl and that one reason why
farmers were crying hard times and
high prices was because they are pay
ing nearly 81 a bushel for corn when
they could raise it at home 300 per
that would bring financial distress any
where
A rule was then given for price
In which 1t was stated that nothing
was high, unless it had more than dou-
bled in price since 1914.
With regard to the return to normal
the chart showed that the
period Of rcadjustmcnt after the Civil
War lasted from the highest price in
1865 to 1878 or about II years. 1t
seems normal for prices to gradually
N 1n\ htt f,. L., ~
they will return to as low figure as
obtained in 1914. 1t was shown that
the starving peoples Of the searth must
have food first and that they will be
unable to produce enough for them
selves. for two or three years, hence
we must do it for them. This large
production will keep price shigh, food
prices, for a long time.
Mr.. Smith then laid considerable en-
phaSiS on the fact that there were g.
100000 bales Of cotton left over from
last years crop. II an average yield
is secured from an average acreage
this year, cotton will be very, very low
next fall and the Southern farmer will
only have himself TO blame lie will
rob himself to make cotton goods
cheaper in price. he will sell cheap
cotton and buy high priced corn This
is not sound economy and will PRO
ducc hard times or distress. The sen
siblc thing to do then is TO decrease
acreage and Live at home" by rcfls-
ing 10 pay anyone else 800 per cent
pl'o'll on food and fccdstufrs which can
be produced so easily at home in Lau-
rcnS county.
The speaker was asked several uucs-
tionS during the progress Of his ad-
dress REGARDING good roads, the pOssi-
D!ity Of sand clay roads here and on
other related topics. He closed by
saying that the prices of farm produce
were high and for the most part would
remain high for a period Of years. that
there was absolutely no assurance
that cotton would remain high i'm
price, also that a balanced farming
would prevent top heavy conditions
and aside from being OF individual ad-
vantage would assist in the rcStora-
tion Of the world and the rcplcnish-
mcnt Of stricken lands afar.
before adjourning the Chamber of
Commerce went on record through a
resolution introduced by Rev. S. r..
Tcmplcman, as endorsing the move
mcnt to secure Carnegie library in
this city.