The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1920-07-12
Farming By Corporation.

An interesting contribution to the
| discussion of the condition OF a1'lcul-
ture in Massachusetts, is made by 10
seph G. Ray of Franklin. manufactur'
1 err who owns a farm of about l,2W
acres and is entitled to speak with the
authority born of experience concern
/ ing agricultural problems. Mr.. Ray
maintains that there will be no revival
of agriculture until farming is done in
accordance with modern business prin-
, cples. TO facilitate their application
| he would introduce the corporate own
ership of farms. In, this way, as he
sees it, adequate capital would be
| Forthcoming to provide the latest and
best in machinery and equipment on
farms sufficiently large in area to in.
sure the greatest possible degree OF eff
cheney and economy in operation. On
these corporation owned farms the best
OF human machinery would be obtain
able for the work OF management and
marketing. salaries being adjusted TO
command>trained ability of high or
der.
In picturisg present day conditions
on the farm, Mr.. ky points out that
Massachusetts agriculture Is conducted,
in the main, as it was in by gone years
before the modernization OF other in.
dustries. In an era of combination
and large scale operations, the farmers
are struggling along in the way OF the
DAYS of small things, They have been
brought into competition with the new
world of manufacturing and CONNER
auI thaxr hlp a
compete on anything approaching equal
terms They lack capital to enable
them to modernize their equipment and
methods, and they are unable TO hold
their own in the labor market. As to
the labor problem Mr.. Ray calls atten-
tion 10 the fact that II is not Of recent
origin, but has been Of gradual growth
becoming acute during and since the
war. He believes that if the farm
could bid on equal terms with the fac
tory as to wages and conditions. II
would be found that large element
offering their services in the labor mar
ket would prefer the life OF the eolln-
trv and the farm 10 the life OF the
city and the shop.
Mr.. Ray has advanced reasonable
proposition He makes out strong
ease in its support. But what becomes
of the old time belief that the safety
of the nation lay in the hands OF
sturdy veomanry composed OF tree
holdersy In Justice to Mr.. Ray II
should be explained that he does not
think all farming well done by corpo-
rations. On the other hand, he believes
that the establishment of the new or
der in agriculture would be OF assist
ance TO the man who conducted his own
farm. especially were he enabled to use
modern machinery through the medium
of some state organization similar to
that of the farm machinery units
maintained during the war. IL is also
TO be remembered that the growth OF
tenant farming has been the cause OF
considerable disquietude IN some parts
of the country As between tenant
farming and corporation farming, the
lattar is TO be preferred, except in the
cases of those ambitious and industrl-
Gus men who hire farms with the in
tention of becoming in time, their
owners. MANY tenant farmers are a
blight upon the land, remaining on
farms until they cease 10 be sufficiently
productive to provide living and then
moving on to repeat the process else
where
There is room for doubt, perhaps, as
to whether the farm labor question in
all its aspects would cease TO be trou,
hlesome on the corporation owned
farms. Would there be unions Of trac-
tor drivers, dairy helpers and field
hands with rlrles defining each mans
duties, with view to making as many
Jobs as possible? Would there be
strikes with resultant threats Of star