Shoshone journal. [volume] (Shoshone, Idaho) 1884-1931, 1920-08-20


n ton has. somehow, fallen short OF the
: results he believed it would secure
: He stiIl has to ask when he comes to
Il the produce market. what are you
/, paying for hogs?" or wheat or what
r ever it Is he produces. No matter what
: he produces. It is what are you pay
ing for it?"
When he buys he asks How much
I IS it2" II he sells wheat or hogs he
g patiently listenes to the dealers expla-
= nation that the dealer can pay so mucn,
:. which is the Chicago price less the
! freight. when the farmer knows very
well that not a bushel of his wheat or
pound Of his hog goes to Chicago
When he buys the auto he listenes TO
the dealers explanation that it Is so
much, being the Detroit price plus the
freight though he knows that it also
includes a profit to the manufactures
the man who mined the ore, the man
who manufactured the tires. the man
who sells It TO him and everyone else
who contributed TO its construction.
Continual Expense
| Let US look into this little. In the
| FIRST place the farmers operations CO.
yer a year or a series of years. He
works all winter getting his stock |
through and repairing all his equipment
and preparing for the next eason. In
the spring he starts his blowing and
planting; he has carried his seed over
from the year before and puts 1t into
the ground. His expense goes on all
the time and piles up all season. I'm
the fall he haryests, still on expense
He has gambled all season with the ele
ments-perhaps frost took part of the
crop. unseasonably hot weather cut the
crop In half or rains at harvest caused
a loss OF twenty per cent
When he is through he knows how
much he has. but he does not know how :
much it is worth. Then he goes
to town to ask. what are you paying
for corn" or wheat? He now starts
gambling with prices If he sells at
once. probably the price win go up;
II he holds probably it goes down. No
matter what 1t costs him to raise it, he
has to take what Is offered him.
Too Big Gamble
II is this that has brought the farm
er TO the point where he quits he farm
Or only raises what he needs for him
self. II has become too big a gamble
he was willing to gamble his work and
with the smallest per capita wage in
he county, but the war conditions and
postwar conditions have created a de-
nand for the boys labor and they know
hat the return Is certain and the hours
ire shorter, so they have gone to the
actories. and the farmer viii not pay
mt wares to compete with factory
wages because he has no assurance
hat his return will enable him TO do
o.
Because he has to cary his expen-
cs all through the sason and has ONLY
ne pay day, the farmer is naturally
borrower. When his crop is har-
ested the hanks demand that he pay
n his obligation, so he must sell the
uk OF his produce. In other words
he bulk of his sales are distress sales
fter the produce passes from his hand
here is usually big raise in prices
his is discouraging indeed
Not Properly Financed
One Of the chief causes of the pres
nj condition of the farmer is the lack
Z proper financing The Federal land
ank was organized. supposedly. to
AXE care of the farmers. but Mt hest 1t
J a very leaky vessel and certainly It
NtNH lVAo VI itDditS. It's Ciltl N'ilUt
> the farmer is when he wants TO buy
iore land. In that case IL is good
raEon. but when 1t comes to crop An
ncing. 1t has broken down. The great
st value of the Federal Land Bank
as been to furnish high interest bear
ig, gilt edge scurities absolutely tax
zee for nrofiteers to sink their sur
lus in; II has not lowered the interest
ite in proportion to the increase in
he farmers taxes. for he helps bear
lxes which should have been levied
\ money that bought the bonds
The Federal Reserve Bank has pro-
en- a wonderful vehicle for modern
lsiness. helping everyone but the far
er. It's credits are based on liquid -
'sets; therefore the farmer is primar-
Y out of II. because his big asset is
S land which is not liquid
A farmer must have his money from
X months to a year. but the federal
serve bank favors thirty day lDan
nd penalties a six months loan with
higher rate of interest Since the
deral reserve ruling have practically
'come law to the small country banks
10 farmer is worse Off for financial
in thnn he was before il was organ
ed
The wealth and prosperity OF the
'uniry is hased on the farms. ma if
e fundamental basis of our wealth IL
1t fostered and protected and fnaa-
a II Is going to be fclt in every ar
nv OF our national life
The warehouse man who huAs tho
rmer's in. the mill which giinls
must borrow 10 finance the handling
That crop. and they have no trouble
doing II After they get the bulk
the produce out Of the farmers hand
ey can boost the price as they see ct
the consumer.
Would II not Ice better to. nnaNoe
e farmer than TO finance the grain
iyer. who then takes profit that
ives both the producer and the con-
mer dlssatisfied2
These observations lead me to be-