The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1920-02-16
WORLD NEEDS
TALKED OVER
BY FARMERS
.Agriculturists Of County Have
Wide Variety of Opinions
on Economic and Political
Conditions.
ExTRAVAGANCE NOTED


tural conditions, the Palladium recent
~ addressed a QUESTIONABLE to many
6griculturfsts OF this and adjacent
counties.
Their replies, all of them worthy of
intensive study, show divergence of
opinion on causes of the present
situation, but all of them agree in the
main that there is wide margin be-
tween what the farmer received for his
products and the price which the
ultimate consumer pays for them.
Many farmers say If they curtailed
working hours to a basis comparable
!. with that used In cities, the production
s&pf crops would be cut to such min
imum that severe suffering would
result.
Others point out that the manufac-
turer and merchant can add to the
price OF his products to meet incr"as-
Ing costs, but the farmer is forced to
/ take the price which the middleman
offers him for his product.
Some urge extreme economy by all
classes, curtailment Of federal ex-
penses and cessation Of extravaganza.
The series Of letters. which begins
with today's issue, Is loaded with ma
terfal for thought.
SCOTT LICHTY-It Is my opinion
there will be general curtailment Of
farm products this year, due to many
reasons
One reason Is the labor question It
Is getting difficult to hire man to
work on farm because that man
thinks he can get much better wages
IN town than he can on the farm. The
factory owner can easily advance the
wages and add It on to the product he
sells, but the farmer can add nothing
on the selling price; but just takes
what the other fellow wants to give
him for his wheat, corn and hogs.
Today man working in a shop on
on the railroad without one dollar
invested can make more money than
aots Of men on farms that have from
three to five thousand dollars invest
ed.
Another reason. we have too many
middIemen, too many men that are not
producers, get big profit off of what
someone else produced. making too
much difference between the producer
and the consumer. am not plan
ming to produce any more this year
than In previous years, because l do
not believe it will justify me to try
to do so.
3 NJ. C. LINDSEY feel that the
/ usual The cry has been, produce
more, not taking into cosideration the
cost of production, or the price which
we received for our produce, which
was for less than the cost of produc-
fion on some things, especially hogs
and cattle and horses. In summing
yp the general issue, think want of
labor and cost of implements, will
rurtaH the production in farming in
1920
C. B. KEENE- In regard to the
farmer, there is nothing for his these
days. 1t is nearly all a game of
Hhance. They fed their 81 corn to
tnelr nogs laast summer. Some one
set the price of hogs so low in the fall
that the farmers in Indiana alone lost
thousands of dollars. Do you think
:1hey will stay in the hog business?
Our hdp has been drawn to the
.rities by real short hours and the good
nay. At these short hours, will pro-
Iuction ever increase so we can buy
a tool or a machine at a reasonable
price? On the other hand, are we en-
Titled to a six or eight hour day, or
ARE we compelled to go the limit. 16
hours? If we take an eight hour day,
as our city folks do, it will cut pro-
auction about half. What will that
mean to the consumer!
The farmer will raise what there is
"a profit in for him to raise. If there is
no money in one class of farming, he
will cater to something more profit
able. We have been raising the
sstuff, but we do not set the price.
iThe other fellow does that. Give US a
a,good profit and a square deal, and we
will produce the goods.
GEORGE A. KELSEY-Consider
rihe labor problem, the constant in
Erease in price Of farming implements.
machinery and everything necessary
to carry on the farm, while that which
ia produced is declining in market
value, the present inefficient system OF
Yransportation and marketing of farm
products and the unsettled condition
.of finance do not look encouraging for
increased production of either grain or
live stock at present. For relief CO
operation and economy in all classes
of business enterprise.
A w. KERBER-The farmers are
planning about normal production. 1t
WIN be curtailed by labor being short.
Increased cost of production coupled
with expecting lower prices tend to
discourage production. Conditions are
the best they ever were at present,
because there is more money among
dhe people. However, there is unrest
because the wise know it cannot last.
The farmer knows because his produc-
:tions are governed by supply and de
r1nand, they will be the first to drop.
THE people have money. the govern
ment is badly in debt. 1t is our gov,
ernment, therefore. our debt. We are
really nosaet, IT off than before the
war. Just ,ling ourselves. My remedy
would be better economy among all
classes. also better management of the
government in regard to expenditure
and care of public property.
- LOUIS P. KLIEBER-I am planning
Nuo produce less in 1920 to some ex.
.yfent. in order to curtail expenses and
not to get caught in the swim. The
reason conditions are as they are, Is
frat. because we canot make an even
exchange Of our products for the manu-
CONTINUED on page six)