The producers news. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1918-1937, 1919-12-26
THE WEEK

THE WEEK
Reduced CrOps-Answer to Raids
Denekine and Kolchak Forsaken
Standardized Flour
Lady Astor,s First Vote
Government figures show that the
farmers in the winter wheat areas
have reduced their wheat acreage by
100000 acres. Present acreage is
about 5000, 900 less than that of
1915. We have here the silent ans.
wer of the neglected producer to un7
favorable conditions. This answer
also meets the stories about great
farm prosperity effectively. t
If the farmers had done well with
winter wheat last year and had the
means now they would plant larger
rather than a smaller acreage. But
there is no way by which the farmer
can continue putting more into the
ground than he takes out. The rye
acreage is smaller by 100000 acres.i
In fact, we shall find reductions in,
all lines of farm products in which.
price-fixing or "cost-of-iving" raids
have resulted in unfair returns. The,
consumers must pay for the smaller;
production with higher prices next,
year.
Allowing 10 bushels to the acre, we:
shall be short 120,000,000 bushels of:
winter wheat next year.
Decision of the allied council to,
abandon aid to Denekine and Kolchakss
is ANNOUNCED in the press. Whetherg
the alright blockade will also be lifti
ed is not stated. There is little prob
ability that it will, for the decision.
to stop direct aid is not prompted bys
desire to make peace with Russia butt
by the belief that aid to the factions
fighting in the field is like sticking.
money into the ground, and none OH
the allies can afford this. !:
Shortly after the petering out of.
smashing defeat of Kolchak, and now
Denekine is retreating with seven
League boots. He is also attacked in
the rear by revolving peasants in the,
Caucasus. And England alone has
spent $470,000,000 to date on Kol-
chalk, Denekine and the north Rus
sian fiasco.
Perhaps the widespread protest by
American business men against re-
fusal to allow them to send goods to
Russia for cash, will have an import
ant effect on the blockade. The lack
of balance between city and agricul-
tural production caused by the block
ade is probably the worst problem
Soviet Russia has to face. Many al
lied statesmen and writer's expected
this to break Soviet rule long ago.
Our government grain corporation
asks public support for method
that really reduces the margin be-
tween producer and consumer. Few
will question that our marketing costs
have mounted, because we have got
ten away from bulk goods and have
been educated" by advertisers to
special brands and expensive pack
ages. The consumer pays for the adj
vertising and the other frills. Why
not standardiZe our necessaries and
cut out this expensive business.
The grain corporation offers what
it says is a good flour much cheaper
than the producers of brands" can
sell it for; that is, it will retail for
about 70 cents per one-sixteenth of a
barrel, as opposed to the 80 cents or
more asked by the dealers with fancy
labels and big advertising bills. This
government flour, purchased on de-
tailed specifications from the millers,
is marked United States Grain Cor
poration Standard Pure Wheat
Flour"
The milling combine may be able
to put a crimp into this flour-market-
ing reform. Time will tell. But it is
certainly in the right direction. IF
the government would guarantee the
quality of the bulk goods in the i'm
portant lines and if the people could
unlear11 their education on brands.
marketing costs could be considerably
reduced.
Lady Astor's first vote in parlia-
ment is not commented on by the pa
pers which have had so much to say
about her triumph at the polls and
her great democracy in spite of her
great wealth. Do they feel that the
American public are too simple-mind-
ed to appreciate the democracy of her
first vote?
1t was question of granting suf-
frage to India, and Lady Astor voted |
against the provision on the ground
that she was opposed to granting suf-
frage TO the men of India without Civ
ng it TO the women at the same time.
labor party men, who democracy is
always "open to serious question:"
roted to give India the suffrage. Per-
laps they thought the men there
v0aid Is,ok, alter their. own women.
Tie members above suspicion voted |