The Newark journal., 1920-04-01
LOCATING THE DISEASE OF
 PROFITEERING

When Edwin T. Meredith, the new
 Secretary of Agriculture, took his
 seat at Washington, D. C., he was
 beseiged with messages and inquiries
 as to how, thru the agricultural de- partment, he was going to bring
 down the high cost of living. His re-
 ply should be generally appreciated i by the farmers, for 1t shows that he ] is not laying the trouble at their
 feet Mir. Meredith said, i'll part: "I am surprised that 1 should have re- ceived the number of messages l have particularly from daily papers, asking what plans l have to reduce the high cost of living, indicating that the gen. eraI feeling is that this is essentially an agricultural problem. It is, of course, related to agriculture, but no more than to other lines of activity, and I am tempted to believe that tl solution of the problem lies moreXl the hands of those interested in
 tribution and non-productiye l. ee9l- prises than in the hands of tR cS h. CTS of the country" AT.
 The farmers must 7. ET1 sp4o- duee. They have pro0s ill produce-that is their business. Aey are on peace measure basis, so giv- cn satisfactory conditions they will do their part, as the farmers of Am erica have Tn every situation or crisis that has faced the country. But this question of satisfactory conditions Is a big one. It is not satisfactory condition for the farmer to receive re- dueed prices for his pork, wheat, hid es, while the prices of his machinery, lumber and shoes are raised. 1t does not conduce to a pleasant frame of mind on the part of the farmer to spur him to greater production to be obliged to sell his products for half or less than he later sees them sell for at retail The hog growers wonder if they are not in n hazardous business when they buy fencing and all other supplies at greatly increased prices, and then see their produce fall fifty per cent and sold by them at an actual loss, in answer to a demand an the part of the rest of the population for a re- duced cost of living MT. Meredith points in like manner to dairy and poultry farmers and others who are not getting square deal.
 Calling attention to the fact that farmers are willing to assume their part of the responsibilities as Amer ican citizens, MT Meredith continues: But this high cost of living problem IS mutual one, and they ask that 1t be approached by all of the people as common problem. They ask that those engaged in distribution elimin- ate the lost motion and not put so great a burden upon production as there Is today. In other words, they ask that there be an adequate number of producers of wealth, and this in- cludes property and food of all kinds, and only such number of distributors as is necessary to perform the ser vices required"
 He then calls attention to every factory, dealer and business enter prise of vital interest to the farmer being speeded up, and the production of anything may be done by two men instead of three, it means a saving Tn the cost of production and releases men to go to the farm. Much em- phasis IS placed on the matter of put ting thousands of useless employees at productive work, as all these non- essential employees add to the cost of production and distribution. Let us have siX-tenths of our people in production and four -tenths in distri- button, says the secretary that there may be six-tenths of what man can produce each day for each of ttc production and six-tenths in distri- button, which gives us only fourteen ths of what a man can produce each day for each of us To do this con- ditions in production must be attract i've; farming must be remunerative and offer to young man who en- gages in 1t an opportunity equal to that offered in other lines"
 Labor must meet the farmer half way. In this the secretary says: The farmer asks that the Iaborer in the mines, the factory, the mills etc, who are also real producers along with the farmers, make an effort comparable to his to see that there is just as little labor expense as pos sible in each article turned out by their hands. thereby helping the farm CTS of America, who in turn will help labor"
 With reasonable days labor for an honest days pay, for labor, Mir Meredith sees where the manufactur- CTS should recognize fair profit, also see the harm that must come with continued profiteering upon the farm CT. There can be no improvement in