The Belding banner-news. (Belding, Mich.) 1918-1973, 1919-12-03
AS The STANDARD OIL
co.'s HEAD VIEWS III

What are the causes of the present
high cost of living and the industrial
unrest which is manifesting itself
everywhere? If we attempt to ana
lyze the situation sooner or later we
come to the conclusion that the one
great basic cause of trouble is un-
Reproduction.
There are hundreds of millions of
people in this world and each of these
requires a certain amount of food,
clothing, fuel, housing, means Of
transportation, ETC., to insure their
health, comfort and wellbeing. The
food must come from the soil. II
production falters, even slightly, the
comfort of all the people is disturbed.
If production staggers their health
suffers, and if production fails they
die.
1t is said that Europe this winter
will suffer from famine and that death
will reap a mighty harvest The cause
of this is underproduction While the
war lasted men were taken from the
fields and became consumers, and un-
Reproduction resulted Since the war
has stopped, internal disturbances
have again reduced production, with
the result that there is not enough
food to go around
Fortunately, we in the United States
need have no fear of famine this
winter, but if production is not
brought back to a normal basis and
maintained at a high standard, the
time may soon come when famine
will be rampant even in this land of
plenty. Production must be MAIN
tanned in industry as well as in ag-
riculture if we are to continue to lead
our normal lives.
Already we read that the farmer
is complaining Of the topheavy prices
he is called upon to pay for clothing
fuel and machinery. These high pri-
ces are the direct result of underpro-
duction in industry and mining. The
farmer argues that he can not afford
to continue to produce food at present
prices for radicals who are always
demanding shorter and shorter hours,
because these shorter hours are re-
sulting in tremendous underproduc-
ton in the lines in which these men
are employed. This undergraduate
causes shortage which makes it ne
cessary for the farmer to pay an ex-
cessive price for the manufactured
goods he uses.
In the press we read that this
fall the farmer planted a smaller
acreage to wheat than has been the
case for the past several years. He
says, "Why should / bend every en-
ergy towards increasing my yield of
foodstuff when the men in industry
are cutting their output? They work
shorter hours and produce so little
that / have to pay ruinous prices for
what require. Why, therefore should
work long hours, produce heavy
crops and sell them at q comparatively
low price?
If these reports are true it is some-
thing which all Of us should ponder
carefully. 1t is of little concern to
US just now whether the farmer is
right or whether he is wrong. What
concerns us is that he feels he is right
in reducing his acreage and that the
result will be q shortage of
foodstuffs in the United States.
In effect, the farmer is issuing an
ultimatum to city dwellers, whether
they be capitalists or laboring men,
that unless they are willing to do
their part in bringing about a just
and equitable solution Of our present
reconstruction problems they are 60
ing to be without the food which they
require. If the farmer carries out
this implied threat and actually be-
gins to do to industry what he be-
lieves industry is trying to do to him,
the people Of America eventually will
feel the pangs of famine. It makes
no material difference how high
wages may become II the men who
can earn these high wages can not |
BUY food because there is no food. If |
the supply of bread, milk or meat |
Is curtailed by the farmer refusing to |
work more than six, seven or eight |
hours a day, America, with all its |
resources and opportunity |
vii get set back from which It will |
AXE long time to recover.
Mr.. Farmer today is saying to the