The Chesterfield advertiser. [volume] (Chesterfield C.H., S.C.) 1884-1978, 1920-02-05
SERIOUS UNREST AMONG
FARMERS THREATENS
THE FOOD SUPPLY

| The Post Office Department at
Washington has received 10000 re-
plies to questionnaire recently sent
out to 100000 farmers in different
parts of the country asking for sug-
gestions as to the best method of cut
ting down the cost of living. These
replies indicate that the agricultural
conditions throughout the country are
| so serious as to cause grave alarm re-
| garding the nations future food sup
ply. 1t appears that thousands of
farmers-because Of the shortage Of
farm labor; the comparatively low
prices which they receive for their
products and the high prices they are
compelled to pay for clothing and
farm supplies of all kinds; and also
because of the long hours, hard work,
and small earnings incident to farm
ing-are planning either to reduce
the acreage cultivated so as to pro-
duce only enough to meet their do
mestic needs, or to abandon the farm
altogether, thus seriously curtailing
the nations food supply and causing
a still further increase in the cost of
living.
Some of the replies received by
the Post Office Department are as
follows:
One farmer writes: "The time is
very near when we farmers will have
to curtail production and raise only
what we need for our own use and
let the other fellows look out for
themselves. Labor unions are more
to blame for high prices than anyone
else. People are trying to get pay
for what they don't earn"
II almost fear famine" another
farmer writes. Farm help every.
where is flocking to the city, lured by
short hours, high wages, and the
promise of good time. Some one,
fear, is going to suffer if this con-
dition is not remedied shortly"
| Another letter reads: ~ sell but
ter to the dealer for forty-five cents
pound and the same butter sells to
the consumer for eighty cents
pound. In the distribution we lose
nearly half and we lose money on the
butter at the first price. Such condi-
| fa
the farm by the thousands. We have
reached crisis. You may ask what
we would do with the mddleman. |
would suggest that it be arranged for
| them to go on the farm and helm
produce things. understand that
they might not relish working four
teen hours a day, but if we get by the
near future there will nave to be some
useful work done by every one"
Missouri farmer writes that he
is working 24O acres without help and
that hundreds of other farmers are
| doing the same. He declares that
the place to start to lower the cost
of living is t6-cut the high wages in
the city, which have called our farm
help there, We need them on the
farm to help increase production, and
then we can cut the cost of living"
Other farmers write:
II am quitting the farm. Work
fourteen hours a day for 81, and let
the middleman get the biggest share
of ? Not me-"
II have just finished figuring up
what eggs, poultry, and cream that
sold last year brought me, and will
not be in business another year"
"The trouble is the big pay, short
hours, and good times offered by the
city. All the young men of any ac-
count go to the city and there are
only few old men left to farm"
"The time is at hand when the far
mer and the consumer must deal di-
rect with one another. The middle
men get most of the profits while the
farmer does all the hard work"
ITO reduce the cost of foodstuffs
you must first furnish farmers with
first class labor at reasonable wages,
and, second, you must eliminate thou
sands Of middlemen who are robbing
the people Wholesale"
"The trouble is the price Of every
thing the farmer has to buy is going
up and the quantity he can raise and
put on the market is steadily going
down."