Milford chronicle., 1919-02-14
COMMUNICATED

Congress for many years has beer
appropriating millions of dollars to ge
. information on soils, seeds. live stock
labor-saving devices, methods for max
|, ing the farm life more attractive, etc
= In addition, nearly every State has like
facilities for gaining and passing or
> this knowledge to the farmer.
Yet in spite of all these aids, the
, food problem becomes more acute each
year in succession. Why do you. q
! farmer, not produce more food? 1 can
hear the honest answer: Il am pro-
! ducing more food than / can sell at
the cost of producing it," Especially
has this been true of the Eastern far
mer, the dairyman, the truck gardener,
the fruit grower and the poultry men.
But ask the average city housewife,
if there be such, why she does not save
more food and she will instantly re-
mind you that she can not buy enough
with her income TO meet the actual
needs of her family.
Yet of each dollar she pays for this
necessary food. Csc goes to the dealer
and middlemen and only 35c is paid
to the farmer. who is willing to labor
twelve or more hours day in all kinds
of weather 10 produce this food, hop
ing, however, to get living wage for
his work. A few examples will illus
trate.
Acres of potatoes were undug in New
York State last year and many car
| loads were stored and later dumped
| Jack Frost helped himself to other
lots The Food Administrator said
ship them and advised consumers TO
eat potatoes TO save wheat. But while
the farmer received soc or less in
most cases than their production cost,
the city housewife paid &C per pound, |
or $3.50 per bushel.
l have here a clipping from Rural |
New Yorker that is interesting Mr. /
]. W. Will of Georgetown had some |
soy beans for sale. The local price |
was S2.75$3.00 per bushel. He noticed |
that a certain Chicago seed company |
listed the same quality at SS.35 per
bushel. He wrote them offering his
peas at $500 a bushel, but they re-
fused to buy, as S2.75 a bushel looked
too small a profit after freight and
handling was deducted.
AS another instance of the small !
part OF the consumers dollar that
really reaches the farmer, let me tell
you something of wool. But first, can
anyone tell me a reason why the far
mer should not get what his wool is
worth, when the army. cne navy, the
Red Cross, and the whole civilian pop.
ulatiOn are clamOring ror wooden
goods ? If you wish to buy just an
ordinary grade of wool yarn you pay
S1.25 per skein of about Il pound Thus
4 pound is worth $500, or you might !
get it at S4.75. 1t has passed through |
one process of manufacture, that OF i
carding and winding. yet that process
must befvery expensive, to judge by I
our figures. For this same wool the 4
farmer got just &c per pound. / fail '
10 see even the 35c of the dollar in this
ior the farmer.
| could go on and cite so mapy in
stances in small fruits, tomatoes and
vegetables where the grower has not ~
'eceived enough in return for them to =
)ay rent or interest on the land where
hey grew, to say nothing of labor
expended Lovett Blackberries are of
he past here and strawberry culture
S on the wane If the farmers do not / !
rganize and do their marketing them .
elves, instead OF giving the middle !,
nen half of the selling price of their p
ruits and truck products, the time is =.
ear at hand when other crops will -
ave to be substituted for these-staple | "
oods that growers can mold until they | "
o get a fair price =
But as long as we are content to =!
axe the 35c instead of the 65c that is ~
ue us out of every dollar of food val .
es, just so long will the middlemen -
and it out to us All other labor is ~,
rganized and able to protect their =, =,
ights and TO all appearances they ~
lake Congress and the President lis n
IN when they demand. If the farmers n
ere organized, how long think you H.
ould they have to strike before our
overnment would at least try to Un-
erstand their problems? Too long all 81
asses have treated the farmer who i.
;tually does feed us all, as a child to Ir
2 educated, to obey, but above all to Nj
eep working and keep quiet III
The American farmer today stands &
the same position that Mr. GOmpers Ie
Ould occupy should he seek labors stl
ghts without the sympathetic back IL
g of the Unions. But Mr.. Gompers hu
it'll all labor, except agriculture, st.
licking him is quite another charac- lin
r and as such has vast amount of dr.
fiuence, enough to get a Labor Com Bl
ission sent to France TO sit near the
sace Table and exert the labor influ- Su
zee where it will be most vital. Yet. gr;
l understand correctly, the farmer
as denied this same privilege. cia
Let us put a good farmer, who has grl
led the soil and knows its problems ma
1m experience, in Washington; and sec
him know that every farmer in the ter
lst, the West, the North and the CHI
nth are behind him, and Congress VIII
II not find it convenient to ignore tbe
N or his problems that he brings md
I'm the farm. Nor will the middle all
IN De aDIe 10 take 65c or more out bv
every consumers dollar and give tio,
n 35c or less of the same dollar. ass
t us all pull together and pull strong eve
hat is our only salvation in these &.
enuous times. wit
94f3sas.s ,::-s Tes .
R0UT THE RAT !