The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1920-12-30
-FOUR BUSHELS OF
FOR DINNER
Farmer Would Be Obliged
to Give That In Payment
for Dollar Lunch
SHOWS REDUCTION
IN FARM PRODUCTS
During War Time Peck of Apples
Would Buy Dollar Dinner - Grange
Officers Make Further Comparisons i
Want Farmer for See. Agriculture
BY DAVID LAWRENCE.

BY DAVID LAWRENCE.
tSDcclaI Despatch to The Reformer.)
is Copyright 1920.
WASHINGTON, Dec. 30-Six prac-
ji"ai farmers. members of the executive
committee of the National Grange. sat
down t. luncheon here and, reverting for
Tie momont to the days of barter, they
figured cut the decline in the prices of
farm products in terms of a dollar meal
=. j. Lowell, president of the Ma
tionaI Grange said it cost him four bu-
Shol@s OF apples to get the dollar to pay
for his luncheon. During the war. it
would have cost him only a peck of APP
pes.
W. II. Thompson of the Maine
Grange. i'm effect had 10 pay a .bushel
ana half OF potatoes instead of peck
NHich was the equivalent of dollar Il
year age, Leslie r. Smith. of NIassa-
chuScttS,a~ had TO offer two bushels of
]nl"nS AZ contrastcd with the war
equivalent Of a peck of onions Charles
". Holman. of Texas could have got
.'h III" luncheon for two pounds of cot
tom ia war times. but now he had to
contribute II pounds of cotton for the
dollar. Professor Y. G. AtkesOn. of
W est Virginia insisted that there had
4een little change on wheat for while
his meaF cost him a half bushel of
v heat. he would have paid slightly less
than that wear age. A. N IoolniS
.H|feItlE ~ the National Grange. had to
pay t1ur pounds of cheese. whereas
h"rrtoi'ro the same dollar meal would
nave been purchased for two and a half
pound 1f cheese
The Situation brought about bv the
'r"inH IN th" prices of farm products
o .Hr F.
Washington for "A general talk on agri-
cultural p)lv.os particularly as it will
&IEecJ the Harding administration Sev-
rtai OF the officers are leaving for Mar
ron. this week - discuss agriculture
with Mr.. Harding They have read the
reports that Henry {. Wallace. of
L'W3. has been selected for secretary of
agriculture but would offer no comment.
1t Is said that they have men Of their
own to propose TO Mr.. Harding who
/ aaFe had SnOTe experience as practical
farmers than Mr.. Wallace. but one of
me group Indicated that while Mr.. Wal
lac" may not have been a farmer as
| tong as they thought necessary. never
! Fhri"~$ he had been on the farm more
| years than the appointees of the past.
| Here is the kind OF a secretary Of agri-
culture the National Grange wants:
\ practical farmer. who had been not
I%hiE. y, s}mpathy with farmers. but 50
! o"nIaet by ideas, vocation and effort
/ ttat farmers will recognize him as one
! of themselves: the head of the DEPART
Ilagat mast be- man around whom agri-
! cultural interests and workers will rally
| with confidence in his leadership
! There IS another thing the Grange
/ wants from President Harding's Secre-
! AIRY Of agricUltUFc-a cost accounting
system that viii tell the people of the
| .-tF cuuNnGnglE about the costs of the
J farm. Other things affecting agrie-ul-
! fuTe To be discussed at Marion include
| q permanent tariff. Some of the mem
! oerS of the Grange look askance at the
| emergency" character of the present
! tariff proposals. Some of the schedules
! are regarded as too high and as likely to
| invite retaIIatOry tariff wars while
| other schedules are considered far toe
! low.
What the farmers ought to have
| @3ld :. J. Lowell, president of the
! Grange. lis a protective tariff that will
! represent the difference in the cost oi
| production here and abroad and moth.
| ing more. | believe the job can be
done cquitabIy.'
Mr.. Lowell said agricultural condi-
| tonS throughout the country were dis
! goufaglng largely because the cost OF
| LABOR mad not come down. He said he
| looked for drop i'm labor cost next
| spring. He declared that while plenty
| of labor was in idicness, the cost
! wouldn't come down until some of the
! savings Of the prosperous period through
| which the nation bad passed. were ex.
| hausted, But that the cost Of labor on
! the farm would come down. he had no
| doubt whatsoever. Labor will come
| down" he declared emphatically. be
| cause 1T must come down" Otherwise
| the farmer cannot afford to produce big
| crops needed to feed our immense popu-
| Iation."
Opinions vary among members of the
! Grange as to the length of the period
| necessary for complete economic read.
| iustlncnt but there is a feeling of hope
| vital factor in helping the farmer who
| feels that he ought to get more for his
dollar since he is beginning to give the
/ consumer much more food stufrs for the
same dollar.