The Little River news., 1919-10-25
FARMERS SIDE OF N. (. L.
 WAR WAS PREDICTED
Expresses Fear that "In Our Efforts to
 Get Rid oi High Cost of Living We are in Great Danger"

Washington, Oct 23.-The farmers side of the high cost of living question was predicted to the senate today by ] Senator Capper, Republican, of Kan sas, who declared that, while farmers are selling their products at loss in declining markets, the consumers are paying rising prices.
 Faulty distribution was blamed larg- ely for this remarkable spectacle, " and the senator urged a number of re- medies to increase production. He de- plored the numerous industrial strikes i and the small representation given agriculture in the industrial confer ence.
 Tn our efforts to get rid of the high cost of living disease" said MT Capper, 'I fear we are in great danger of the remedy As a result of Washington S effort to reduce high prices by break- ing down entirely the cost of food. We have the remarkable spectacle of a rise of one per cent in the cost of liV- ing, coincident with market drops that are putting live stock raisers out of business and causing serious losses to other producers
 Illustrating the anomalous situation of farmers and consumers, Senator Capper. said farmers are selling their wheat at a loss, adding:
 ''It takes four and a half bushels of wheat to make a barrel of flour The wheat raiser gets about $S37 for the wheat, the miller $12.7O, the baker $5S.- 70 and the hotel keeper here in Wash ington, as it is doled out in thin slices $5S7.
 The government. through the grain Tcorporation, Senator Capper said. prof tied $23 100000 at the expense of the from 20 to 70 cents less than the guar anteed price.
 The situation of the livestock far mer is even more deplorable." he said Farmers are selling their grain fed beeves and hogs for less than it costs to produce them, but the consumer finds little or no change in the price of meat.
 While everything the farmers must buy demands the high dollar, the price of his commodities. the cheapest in the markets, are held down by Il foreign embargo and a government guarantee.
 Without visibly helping the con culner. We have brought about a crisis in our most fundamental and vital in duslry for forcing the producer to ac- cept prices at which he cannot con tinue to produce, while he and the con sumer are compelled to pay prices at which they are forced to curtail the home demand"
 Farmers are being driven out of business and are drifting to the cities because of conditions in agricultural industry, Senator Capper declared. Citing losses sustained by agricultural producers, Senator Capper said the recent decline in livestock prices had cost producers $S0,000,00O Livestock growers, he said, do not control the markets, and like other agricultural producers might accept prices fixed by others
 Farm wages have doubled, land valu- es have risen enormous, and every thing the farmer buys, he said, has risen from 50 to 300 per cent.
 Among remedies suggested by Sen ator Capper was cessation of federal government propaganda which tends to bear down the prices of farm products.
 Executive departments" he said, should seek by every means at their command, to open wider markets to the farmer by lifting the embargo on wheat and wreat flour to Europe. by extending credits to European govern ments and by lowering ocean freight rates.
 Legislation to free the livestock pro- ducers of alleged control of the mar kets by the packers also was urged by Senator Capper, who suggested estab- lishment of cooperative farm selling agencies.
 Price making in necessities of life" the gamblers of the exchange or to corporate monopolies.'