The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1920-02-03

the most serious thing Before the war
the farmer trained ms children and
hired help In the country. Now with
the attractive wages in the city. IN"
farmer boys who were IN the army don I
want 10 come back 10 the country and |
don't blame them or anybody else Tor
staying in the city II higher wages ar'
obtainable there. Eut city people muSs
realize that as farm labor gets scarce.
the country must begin offering higher
wages and thus costs OF production
must rise. Add To that the Srcat cost
OF distribution and you sec why the
cost OF living is going up. Why. r"ckoE-
ed relatively food Is the cheapest thing
OF all. Our city friends ought to real
IzA that there are about seven million
farmers selling individually. They
can't be proftteers. They are helpless
because they have 10 take what ls Of
TO fix prices and there are no signs ot
one They deal individually.
aons Of Farmers Gone.
Now | know that nobody ever sold
wha, he had to sell. either skill or labor
or commodities for less than he Thought
he could get We all do IT, We shoul, l
recognize II as fundamental fact. Well.
namely the sons OF farmers--is alm"S.
gone. The farmer boys who went into
the army got a taste OF the world and
city life. They have rubbed up against
city companions and are lured BY high
wages and what appears to them more
attractive life. | am told that $500"
questlonnalr"s sent out IN connection
with the rehabilitation OF troops about
one per cent appear 10 have gone oacK
10 the farms.
Also farm lahorers don't want 20
stay In the country II the city offers
them better opportunities. Normally a
farm laborer gets Tor his days work
the equivalent OF a hushel OF wheat.
The other day | had some carpenters
work done at my house in the city and
whnt 7 paid for ten hours work would
have bought a barrel OF flour or four
and a half bushels Of wheat: A man Is
a fool for staying in the country II ne
can get that much more in the city
Secs Food CRISIS. -
But some day those high wage TEL
there isn't enough food to go around at
any price. Its something like condi,
tions kfter the civil War when "" paid
IS a kes for cut nails for about four
years and then suddenly the priC. dr"i,,
ped Ia "unu =" cents - krg. W" ha1
been selling wheat al E3.h" hushel ana
then Il came doTn to CO cents huSh"!
And certain people g"' hurt N the
crash.
the high cost OF Hviug when you CON
slider the. high cost Of city Labor. Thr
cost OF distribution UoreoNcr !s all "ut
OF proportion to tn" cost OF food prdut-
TN What we need is increased produc-
,ion everywhere. IN IN" city as we'll as
the farm
Instead OF agitating for shorter
hours and more pay IL would D. much
better II everybody in the cities and
factories worked harder for the present
high scale OF wages.
Falling OF In Wheat.
In the same connection Judge @. q.
Smith. Of Nebraska. president "t IN"
National Farmers Congress. told his
colleagues at their gathering here 'hat
the actual condition Of winter wheat TO-
day showed only 81 per cent and fall
INK or OF about 80 per cent In produ-
Ction. The leaders Of the farm organl-
zations-and they all have national
Headquarters here--insst also that peo-
pie are crowding every olt OF housing
space in the city while in the outlying
districts and suburbs. there are plenty
As for the talk about prohteerinE
among farmers. Prof. Atkcson pointed
To the statement just issued bE inc o"-
partment OF agriculture. which SAYS:
The average net income OF 324 farms
in the richest portions Of Iowa. with
no allowance whatever for interest on
tho Investment In land and equipment,
was S3.ISn. If nvc per cent b" allowed
value Of the land before the so-call"d
boom there is left an arerag" OF only
$ll2l to pay for tho labor Of tho far
mrr himself and for the risk I" the
business on the haSlS OF aNcraE"
values Of land in August. 1919. ,hcr"
would be loft an average or only S5l
10 pay the interest on the value or tho
land and equipment
THE fact ~ that the prices ot rood
rose and the rise in land values fol low-
cd Prices Of food production hay"
moved up in approximately the same
proportion aS general prices and in re-
sponS" to tn" sam" general world wild"
Causes--war scarcitiCS and currency in
nation. II prices ot farm products were
TO any degree lower than they ar" they
would u" entirely out of line with tn"
prices Of other products"
So the viewpoint uf tn" government
npp"c.S to conform 10 that OF IN"
spckesman Of the farmers Organization.
We'll. what is tn" answer What ar"
We going u do about IL" was tn" QurS-
tinn asked rr"r. Atk"e"n.
"Thcr" isn't anything - do h" said
Things must take thclr natural course.
People IN the cities will not b" con-
vinced any other way. Th"rc'n he a big
smash and prices will fall. Then people
will drift back to tho farms and thor"
will be more labor To cultivate the land
and produce food"
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