The labor journal. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1909-1976, 1920-11-26

save American farmers at least
$900,000,000 year directly, and
two or three times that amount in
directly, and yet permit paying rail-
road employees a fair living wage.
Mr.. Hampton commented on the
average increase in freight rates of
about 33 per cent for the country,
and quotes the Interstate Commerce
Commission as reporting that six
months of private operation of the
railroads, from March LIST to Sep
TENDER LIST of this year, will cost the
tax payers $656, 100000, while the
total deficit under war conditions,
during twenty-six months of Federal
control of the railroads, was $780,
100000, including the excessive
rentals paid by the government, es-
timated at about $500,000,000 for
that period.
He says that the six months of
private operation has cost farmers
directly over $400,000,000, and adds
that farmers have not secured ade-
quate service since the return of the
railroads to private competitive OPP
Grafton, while the high guaranteed
dividends sought by the railroads
may necessitate an increase in
freight rates to an average of 40
to so per cent for the country over
the rates charged during the war.
These farm organizations are also
asked by the Managing Director of
the Farmers National Council wheth-
er their organizations will Officially
work for legislation to make credit
as cheap and as available to farm
ers as to any other equally response
BILE industry through:
(a) Creating a short-time credit
system for farmers to enable them
to market their crops in an orderly
way throughout the year to meet
consumption demands;
(2) Extending and strengthening
the Farm Land Bank System to
meet the farmers longtime credit
needs;
(c) Amending the Federal Reserve
Bank Act to protect agriculture and
commerce and to assure them ade-
quate credit, and to prevent the
Federal Reserve System from being
used by Wall Street bankers to con-
troll credit in the interests of specu-
lators, by limiting the spread be-
tween the rate at which member
banks receive money and the rate at
which they loan it, to one per cent.
and by other means.
At present Mr.. Hampton states
farmers are paying $300,00O,O0O to
$500, 100000 more for their credit
than they should.
Revenue Measures Should Save
Farmers $500, 100000 a Year
The cooperation of these six farm
organizations is sought for revenue
measures to make possible the prompt
payment of the cost of the war by
"taxes on estates, incomes, excess
profits, the value of land and other
natural resources held for specula-
ton, and rapidly progressive tax
on all property with an exemption
of $25,000." This, he asserts, will
save American farmers $1,500,000,-
600 year for many years.
Mr.. Hampton asks them whether
they will Officially work for the
repeal of the Jones Shipping Bill,
retention Of. our ships by the people,
and their operation directly by lease
or by charter, with government reg
ulation of ocean freight rates ?"
which he says will save American
farmers at least $3.50, 100000 a year
if they export any considerable pro-
portion of their farm products and
would make it much easiersfor the
farmers 4 to compete in the world
markets."
Mr.. Hampton asks the heads of
these six farm organizations wheth-
err their organizations will endorse
government ownership of natural
resources still in public ownership,
and development thereof for service
and not for private profit" stating
that this will save the American
farmers at least $300,0OO,OOO a year.
Unnecessary Costs of Farm PrOduc-
ton Must Be Eliminated
Commenting on the injustice of
depriving farmers of prices for their
products which will cover costs of
production plus reasonable profit,
Mr.. Hampton states that the legiti-
mate demand of farmers for cost
plus reasonable profit, places
heavy responsibility on farm leaders
to see that all unnecessary costs of
production are eliminated, and says
that the legislative program of the
Farmers National Council will en-
able farmers to reduce cost of pro-
duction very materially, while direct
will still further reduce
costs of marketing. costs of mar
keting," he says, must be regarded
as part of the farmers costs of pro-
duction, since the American farmer
has determined not to be restricted
to the production of farm products, 4
but to take over the commercial
side of agriculture as we'll, and
through commodity and general CO.
operative organizations to carry his
products as far as possible toward
the ultimate consumer thereof"
Regarding the Volstead bill, to
protect bona fide farm organizations
from prosecution under the anti
trust laws, Mr.. Hampton says the
Council heartily endorses the prin-
ciples of this bill, but that the bene-
fit farmers will derive from the
enactment of that bill will be strict
ly limited until the reconstruction
program of the Farmers National
Council is fully carried into effect"
Mr.. Hampton concludes: eve re-
specially ask, therefore, that you
lay this whole program before your
next annual meeting, and if such
meeting does not occur shortly, that
you take the matter up with your
executive committees at an early
date, and the Farmers National
Council earnestly invites you to CO.