The Chattanooga news. [volume] (Chattanooga, Tenn.) 1891-1939, 1920-12-31
FDOLLAR'S1VALUE0 Q
DOWN ONE 18TH
Grange Officials Revert to-
Days Of BarterFigure
Decline In Prices.
SEE BETTER TIMES AHEAD
Despite Present Discouraging
Conditions - Wallace as
Sec'y Agriculture Liked. :

Washington. Dec. 90 (copyrieht. for
Tho Chattanooga News.)-sIx practical
farmers. members OF the executive com
mitteo OF the national grange. sat DOWN
TO luncheon here and. REWRITING for thai
moment TO the days Of barter. they fig-
ured out the decline In the prices Of
meal. 1877
S. j. Lowell. president ofsthe national,
grange, said II cost him four bushcip Of ,
apples TO get the dollar TO pay for his
luncheon. During the war. II would
have cost him only peck Of apples.
w. ". Thompson OF the Maine gra!iee 4
~ effect had TO pay q bushel and half
OF potatoes instead OF peck. which
s was ne h., e1uIvaient Of = dollar 2 year !
mad TO offcr two bushels OF onions AS
contrasted with tho war equivalent Of
a peck OF onions, Charles w. Holman. I
OF Texas. could have gotten his lunch T.
con for two pounds OF cotton In wal.
eleven pounds OF cotton for the dollar.
Prof, 7. 9, Atkeson, OF West Virglnln.
insisted that there had been little
change on wheat. for while hts meal
cost him half bushel OF wheat III 4
a. year ago. "a
A. AZ. Loomis. secretary Of tho M. 8
tional grange. had 70 pay four poundss
OF cheese, whereas, heretofore the same <
dollar meal would have been purchased 81
lot TWO and half pounds OF cheese.
80, grange Tor Practical Man.
The situation brought about by tha Y
decline in. the prices OF farm products.
brought tho officers OF the grange "a.
washington for general talk on aarl-
cultural policies, particularly as II will
anect the Harding administration. Sew ..
erai OF the onlcorH are leaving for Ma 2
rion this week to discuss aEricuitureYlf
with MT. Harding. They have read the
reports that Henry G. Wallace, OF, Iowa.
has been selected for secretary 81 neri-
culture, but would offer no comment. IL
TO propose to Mr.. Harding, who have as'
have had moro experience as practical
farmers than Mr.. Wallace, but ono az NJ
the group indicated that while Mr.. WAL !
lace may not have been farmer az
, LUZ ~ tney thought necessary. never- "a
tne!ess he had been on the farm moro y
years than the appointees Of the past.
Here 10 the kind OF n secretary Of
agriculture tia national grange wants,
"A practical farmer who should be
10 o' ,S Sm, IN sSrppsthy with tarn,sry but
tort that farmers Will recognise him as
one OF themselves the head Of the de-
partment must be a man around whom
a LII. , interests and workers. villa
There's another thing the nfahxA
wants from Prssident Hardlng's secre-
tary OF ngriculture--a cost accounting
system that WIN ten the people Of ths
farm. Other things, Affecting agricul-
ture TO be discussed Il Marion Include
= permanent tariR. some o. the mef,issss
nera OF the grange look askance AZ the
, srIs sn character Of the present.
Some Of the dutla. are rers,A "A y
TOO high and as likely to invite retaiia- :,
tory tariff wars, while other schedules :
are considered far too low. IF3E7Ft !
What the farmers ought 70 have"
said \. y Lowell. president OK the
grange. rs protective tarift that will
represent the difference In the coat Of
production hero and abroad and noth-
anno m son,,.,Iv believe the JOB can be
I. conditions pIseoursairp.
Mr. Lowell said Agricultural condi-
tons throughout the country were dis
conraElng largely because tho cost OF
looked for q, drop In labor cost .nexts q
spring. He declared that while plenty
Of labor was IN idleness, tho cost wound ~
not come down until acme OF the saw
witch the nation had paused were ,sss az
hausted But that the cost Of lnbcr on
The farm would come down he had no
ioubt whatsoever. q;
,mbS ssGs w. sG sss.s ss" n he
town. Otherwise tho farmer caRHnt
afford 20 produce tho big crops needed
10 feed our immense populatlonsrws IA
Opinions vary among members % the
necessary for q complete economic re-,
adjustment, but there Il q feeling on
lope that tho next administration win n,
~ a vital factor In helping the farmer M
s " hee ma,, ,na, .,n ne 9ush 70 Es, mao.
rive the coneulnar mitch moro food. =
tuifs for the samo dollar Y III