Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1920-08-12

sumption. Farming will not inspire in
dividual effort unless profits. all things
considered, are equal to those in other
activities. An additional check to de-
pleted ranks in the fields would be the
establishment Of modern state rural
school codes. The federal government
should maintain active sponsorship Of
this. Rural parents would be lacking in
the element which makes civilization en-
dured IL they did not desire for their chill
dren educational opportunities comparable
to those in the cities. The price the con-
sumner pays for foodstuffs is no indica-
ton Of what the producer receives. There
are too many turnovers between the two.
Society and government, particularly
local and State. have been remiss in not
undermining local marketing facilities
Municipalities must in large measure in
terest themselves in, If not directly con-
troll community markets. This is n mat
ter of such Importance that the federal
government can profitably expend money
and effort in helping to evolve methods
and TO show their virtues The farmer
raises his crop and the price which he
receives is determined by supply and de-
mand. His products in beef and pork
and produce pass into cold storage and
ordinarily when they reach the consumer
the law Of supply and demand does not
obtain.
REGULATING COLD STORAGE
The preservation of foodstufs nv cold
storage ia boon to humanity. and it
should be encouraged However. the
time has come for its vigilant regulation
and inasmuch as it becomes a part of
interstate commerce. the responsibility
is with the federal government. Supplies
are gathered in from the farm in times
of plenty. They can easily he fed out
to the consumer in such manner as to
keep the demand in excess NJ that part
of the supply which is released from stor-
age This is an unfair practice and should
be stopped. Besides, there should be a
time limit beyond which perishable food =
stuffs should not be stored. Every sue
cessfu modern business enterprise has
its purchasing. producing and selling de-
partments The farmer has maintained
only one. the producing department. 1t
is not only fair that he be enabled both
to purchase and to sell advantageously.
but 1t is absolutely necessary because
he has become a competitor with the
manufacturer for labor. He has been
unable to compete in the past and his
help in consequence has been insufficient
Therefore the right of cooperative pur-
chasing and selling in the modern view,
should be removed from all question
Agricultural thought has not been suf-
ficiently represented in affairs Of govern
ment Many of the branches Of the gov
eminent which deal remotely or directly
with the soil and it's problems and it's
possibilities would be more valuable to
the general welfare If the practical ex-
perience of the farmer were an element
in their administration To he specific.
the Interstate Commerce Commiss ion.
the Federal Reserve Board the Federal
Trade Commission and the United States
Tariff Commission are administered by
business men. Does anyone contribute
more to the making and success of rail-
roads than the farmer or to the creation
and prosperity of the banks. or to the
stability of manufacturing and trade units
or to the agencies interested in export
ing?
TO ENCOURAGE LAND BUYERS
Our objective should be a decreased
tenantry. With the period of occupancy
uncertain, the renter strips land of its
fertile elements, and each year diminish
es our national assets. Under the opera
ton Of the Federal Reserve and the Farm
Loan acts, encouragement has come to
thousands who find that industry. char
dCleT anu 1HtelllRenCe are a ROlOen SeCuT-
ity to the peoples banker, the govern
ment of the United States. Multiply our
home owners, and you will make the
way Of the seditous agtator more diff
cult. Bring into the picture of American
life more families, happily a part Of
garden and flowers all their own, and
you will find new streams running into
the national current of patriotism. Help
to eQualize the burdens of taxation by
making the holders of hidden wealth
pay their share with those whose prop
erty is in sight In short. remove the
penalty imposed upon home building
thrift, and thousands of contented house
holds, under the shelter Of their own
roof. will look upon government with
affection, recognizing that in protecting
it, they protect themselves. There are
more home owners in America than ever
before. The prosperity of the country
under Democratic rule has been widely
diffused. Never before has the great
mass OF the people shared in the blessings
of plenty. There is much to be done,
however. in multiplying our home owners.
Nothing will bring more golden return
to the welfare of the republic.
Common prudence would suggest that
We increase to our utmost our area of
tillable land. The race between increa sed
consumption and added acreage has been
an unequal one. Modern methods Of soil
treatment have been helpful. but they
have their limitations. There are still
vast empires in extent, in our country.
performing no service to humanity. They
require only the applied genius of men.
to cover them with the bloom and harvest
of human necessities. The government
should turn its best engineering talent
to the task OF irrigation projects. Every
dollar spent will yield compensating re-
suits.
TRANSPORTATION PROBLEMS
Any discussion of the question of food
supply leads very quickly to the closely
related matter of transportation. There
Is no one thing which brings us so in
termittently to critical conditions than
the insufficiency of our transportation
facilities. Both the railroads and the
public are to blame. There has been no
material addition to the total mileage
in the last ten years, and the increase
in terminals has been much less than re-
CURED At the beginning OF the war
the rolling stock was sadly reduced and
inadequate. The public had not given in
pay for service sufficient revenues on
which credit could be allowed by the
banks Moral assistance was withheld
because of railroad policies that did not
bring approval. Many of these corpora
tons had made themselves part of polit-
ical activities. focal State and national.
Then there were more or less sporadic
instances of stock-watering operations,
and the exploitation OF utility properties
for personal gain. Abuses were not gem
eral. but they were sufficient to bring
the entire railroad systems OF the
country in dsrepute, The good suffered