Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1920-08-18

! the greatest INDUSTRY III tHe CHilSu
States and in the world, and hat each
farm is a factory. He paid a tribute
to the good woman of the farm, who
together with the good farmer is re-
sponsible for the building poi the
farm home. So in that way the farm
may be cons idered the seat of civiliza-
ton And the speaker referred to the
Grange as the organization that has
kept the home fires of agriculture
burning.
He spoke of the growth of the Farm
Bureau and of the Federation of Farm
Bureaus, which have a membership of
over 100000.
Some of the problems that stand
out in agricultural life were then dis
cussed by the speaker. He stated
that for IS or 100 years farmers had
been praying for the day when there
would be factories enough in the
city and men enough working in
these factories so that their products
might be consumed. They toiled hard
with this home market in view. Now,
with about go per cent. of the people
of the nation living in the cities.
this home market is here, and the
question is if it belongs to the far
mers whose forefathers struggled
hard for it,
He answered this question by the
statement that 1000 pounds of but
ter were shipped to this country
from Denmark. putting down the
price of butter and that the mer-
chant marine has cold storage to
bring to this country meat from Ar
gentine. For years, eggs have been
brought here from China. There is
the market and it belongs to the
they going to stand for having it
taken away from them?
The manner in which the farmer
is sheared coming and going when
he does not fix. the price on his pro-
ducts. but yet at stores has to pay
the price that is fixed on articles.
The trouble is, he pointed out, that
the farmers are not organized. Or
ganization is what counts in an army
and so 1t is with the farmers-they
must organize, Every farmer should
be member of the Farm Bureau.
working for cooperative selling.
More people now live in the cities
than in the country, and the speaker
asked what farmers might expect 25
years from now when the city popu-
lation greatly outnumbers the coun-
try people. Products from other
countries will tend to lower the
prices of home farm products. He
showed that if the farmers don't or
ganize they will be doomed and on
the way to peasant farming.
He declared that it is a joke for
farmers to think that they have not
the right to fix the price on their
products. and that the only bigger
joke is that the farmers pay the
prices fixed by merchants of articles
they purchase. and thus allow the
merchants to fix both prices He
stated that everybody recognizes
that the farmers have the right to fix
the prices on their products, except
the farmers themselves. And in
closing, he spoke of the immediate
need of building up the Farm Bu-
reau, and felt sure that New Eng
| land would not be second in the
struggle for the farmer.
Executive Committee Meeting
In the forenoon meeting was
held of the executive committees of
the Farm Bureaus of Kennebec.
Somerset, Franklin, Knox and Lin
coin counties, together with County
Agent Leader Deering and Mr.. Rum
mel, for the consideration of matters
of mutual interest, and many fine
suggestions were given by Mr.. Rum
mel