The Wisconsin tobacco reporter. (Edgerton, Wis.) 1877-1950, 1920-02-06
CHIEF MEREDITH
HAS H. c. |. CURE
Says Discharge All Idle Help and
Speed Output.
DEMANDS MORE PRODUCERS
Secretary of Agriculture Asserts use-
less Employees and Many of the
Middemen Must Be Released
From NonproductiVe Work.

Washington, Feb. 3.-Reduce the
number of middlemen and encourage
their return to the farms to help in
crease production of food.
That is the message brought to the
capital by the new secretary OF agrl-
culture, e. T. Meredith of Iowa.
Mr.. Meredith was sworn IN amid
clamOrs for his immediate attention TO
the problem of reducing the cost or
living. He had been inundated with
kilograms and letters from all parts OF
the country asking what he is going
to do to bring down prices.
The secretary, tall, 1.-THE man of
nervous, intense energy, with black
wavy hair, black, piercing eyes and
black, cIOse-crOpped mustache, slightly
touched with gray, was running
through these messages and expressing
amazcrent that they should be adj
dressed to him.
'There must be a general feeling
that the cost of living is essentially
an agricultural problem" Mr.. Mere
dith observed, as he added another
sheaf to the stack of messages. 1T is.
of course, related to agriculture. but
no more than to many other lines OF
activity, and | am tempted to believe
that the solution of the problem lies
more in the hands of those Interested
in distribution and nOnprOductive en-
terprise than i'll the hands of the farm
ers."
Must Satisfy Farmers.
The secretary said the farmers will
produce their utmost "if given salts
factory conditions"
"What is the matter with condi-
tiOnS?" he was asked.
Natter" Mr.. Meredith CALCULATED,
mis- eyes fairly blazing. ut certainly
does not spur farmer to greater pro-
ductiOn to be obliged to sell his prod
ucts for half or less than he later sees
them sold for at retail.
1.-THE dairy farmers wonder if they
are treated squarely when they receive
80 to 40 cents for butter. and see it
retailed at So.
1.-THE poultry men wonder why,
when they receive from 40 to so cents
for eggs, they retail as high as ST a
dozen.
THE hig growers wonder If they are
not in a hazardous business when
they buy fencing and all other sup
plies at greatly increased prices and
then see their product fall 80 per cent
and sold by them at an actual loss in
answer to demand on the part of the
rest of the population for a reduced
cost of living"
business men," he continued,
must see that no useless employee is
retained to add to the cost of distrib-
uting what the farmer now produces
Useless employees must be released
from nOnproductive work that they
may go into productive work.
Only Production Is Vital.
Let us enjoy in America as highly
developed a system of distribution
and let this include all the professions.
doctors, lawyers, teachers, as well as
retailers. transportation, etc.-as we
now have but let us cut out the Use
less member, the surplus one here and
there, and give him an opportunity TO
become a producer upon the farm or
in the factory.
''If the entire country, all business
and all labor. does not recognize this
as a common problem and do those
things which give the farmer fair
compensation for his efforts, conditions
will not improve"