Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1919-10-22
Senator Capper Charges
Incompetency in Price
Fixing.
FARMERS SELL AT
LOSS, FOOD HIGHER
capper Declares Nation is Likely 20
Die OF Remedies Applied in Effort to
Reduce Living Costs--Farmers Help
less, Losing Money on Live Stock
While Other Prices Have Failed to
Come Down.

side OF the hlgh cost OK hVlnS questIoh
was presented to the senate today by
Senator Capper, republican, Of Kansas,
who declared, that while the farmers
are selling their products at loss
In declining markets, the consumers
are paying rising prices.
Faulty distribution was blamed
largely for this remarkable spectacle.
and the senator urged number OF
remedies to increase production. he
deplored the numerous industrial
strikes and the small representation
given agriculture in the industrial con-
ference.
In our efforts to get rid of the high
cost of living disease said Mr.. Cap
per, Il fear we are In great danger OF
dying of the remedy. AS result OF
Washington's effort to reduce. hish
prices by breaking down entirely the
cost of food, we have the remarkable
spectacle OF a raising of one per cent
in the cost Of living coincident with
market drops that are putting i've
stock raisers out of business and caus-
ing serious losses to other producers.
How II Works.
Illustrating the anamalous situation
OF farmers and consumers, Senator
Camper said farmers are selling their
wheat at a loss. adding: 1T takes four
and a half bushels Of wheat to make
q barrel of -four. The wheat raiser gets
about $s.87 for the wheat. the mill
er s12.7o, the baker $3.50 and tho
hotelkeeper here in Washington as 1t
- i,, thi, Glirrs SnSI"
The government through the grain
corporation. Senator Capper SAID.
proftted $22.000,000 at the expense OF
the farmers last year. the farmers
selling from 20 to 10 cents less than
the guaranteed price.
~. Live Stock Farmer Hit.
"The situation of the live stock farm
er Is even more deplorahle," he said.
Farmers are selling their grain fed
beeves and hogs for less than 1t cost
to produce them, but the consumer
finds little or no change in the price
of meat.
while everything a farmer must
buy demands the high dollar, the
prices of his commodities, the cheapest
in the market, are held down by foreign
embargo and a government guarantee.
without vislbly helping the consum-
er we have brought about crisis In
our most fundamental and vital In
dustry by 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.
Farmer Is Helpless.
Farmers are being driven out OF
business and drifting to the cities be-
cause of conditions in the agricultural
industry" Senator Capper declared.
Citing losses sustained by agricultural
producers Senator Capper said the re-
cent decline IN livestock prices had
cost producers $So.Ooo.Ooo. Livestock
growers, he said, do not control the
markets and, like other agricultural
producers, must accept prices fixed by
others.
Farm wages have doubled, lana VAL
ues had risen enormously and every
thing the farmer buys, he said. has
risen from 80 to 800 per cent. Among
the remedies suggested by Senator
Capper were cessation Of federal gov
ernment propaganda which tends to
bear down the prices Of farm pro-
ducts"
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 wheat flour to Europe, by
extending credits to European govern
n1ents and by lower ocean freight
rates"
Legislation to free the live stock pro-
ducer of alleged control Of the market
by the packers also was urged by Sem
ator Capper.. who suggested establish
ment Of cooperative farm selling
agencies. as<.'
price making III necessities of life,"
he said should never again be left TO
the gambler OF the exchange or the
corporate monopoly" '-' '.. -a