The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1920-07-01

crying for helpers, and every man
out of a job in the cities can get
back to work if he will forsake the
bright lights and become useful as
well as ornamental in caring for the
growing crops that are to feed hu-
manity during the coming months.
There is neither an over-supply of
labor in the country, as is indicated
in some of the industries, nor a
shortage Of labor, as the conditions
on the farms would lead some to be-
lieve The situation simply calls for
a radical redistribution of people who
are willing to do useful work.
The British boast that they con-
troll practically all visible or poten-
tial oil fields of the world outside
of the United States. At the same
time there are large British oil hold
ings in this country. The British
Government has been backing up its
capitalists in extending their hold
ings in oil lands, while the United
States has done little outside its own
borders, except in Mexico. While our
own country had long start on the
world it now appears, in the face OF
an oil shortage, that Great Britain
is our chief competitor in oil produc-
ton. The United States adopted the
plan Of other first-class powers in
providing oil burners for its big ships
Now that there is not an adequate
supply of petroleum, it appears that
naval development is hampered. Evil
IDENTIFY the United States had been
out-manouvered by the British. Incl
dentally, it may also be stated that
the British have been getting more
than their share Of sugar sweets out
Of the world market; and it is partly
due to their superior generalship and
commercial enterprise that the Cuban
crop, even during war time, was in
a large part diverted to England,
whereas, by all the rules of the game,
this sugar should have been at the
disposal Of American consumers.
An estimate of the Department of
wheat crop of 1920 at 100000
bushels. This is very large crop
for 1920 and five per cent under the
average for five years previous to
that time. In addition there are Al,
032,000 acres of oats and 7,437 900
acres of barley now growing. Pro-
viding the work of the harvest is
HuSScSSlullI CdIIleu Oh, Ille Country
will likely not be very bad off, since
the European market will not be as
strong as it has been in recent years.
The difficulty that can be foreseen
at this time will be in harvesting the
crop and in transportation. At the
hearings now being held under Fed
eral authority attempts are being
made to Straighten out the railroad
situation, and to make the legislation
by which the roads were returned to
their owners efficient to the point of
making the railway properties pay
returns on the investments, while at
the same time enabling them to Sc
cure new equipment and make ex-
tensions. The sober thought of the
Nation, as it is being dgested at
the Interstate Commerce Commits
sion hearing, seems to indicate that
the railroad problems will be fully
solved
The rising cost of power produced
by steam and oil has shown its eff
feet in most articles of manufacture,
while all of the public utilities have
been in disturbed condition because
it was not easy for them to increase
the price of their products to the
public. Many of the best engineer
ing authorities upon the subject be-
lieve that the water power bill which
met the approval of both branches of
Congress would have a tendency
toward stabilizing the public utility
situation. The Stone and Webster
Journal says that the pre-war judg-
ment of investors "that no business
rests upon more secure foundation
than that of the electric light and
power companies has been proven
during the extraordinary stress of
the last five years" There is hardly
| a line of business in the country.
large or small, but that has it's UPS
and downs. The Public utilities have
had theirs and results show that thev
are able to weather adverse storms.
just the same as have agricultural,
railroad and banking interests.
All the people who used to go to
Europe "every year" but who have
had to stay home for while and see
their own country and learn its beau
ties and superiority over decadent
lands, are trying to get across the
pond again this summer. The stem
"sold out" until all
ships announce that they are all
AT the same time hundreds Of
thousands of Europeans who re-
turned to their native lands after
1914 to engage in their great nation
al pasttime of war, are trying to
swell the figures of immigration, and
ten thousand aliens a week have been
returning to the United States since
early Spring. Doubtless there are d
million more to come, and they will
all get here sooner or later, depend
ing upon the capacity of ships
Out of the war there came the
agitation by former Secretary of the
Interior Lane a back to the land
movement. But Mr.. Houston who
was then Secretary of Agriculture,
was not in sympathy with opening
more farms. 1t was his idea that the
present farms if properly worked
would supply crops enough to meet
all demands.
Th;- lattar x,,o,, e %l>o e