The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1921-01-18

In considering agriculture production
under present conditions and incrfaSeu
N the farm yields Of the past year IS
impos sible. But If IT were possible would
Il De desirable or necessary"
There has been no real shortage OF
food products or clothing within our
borders. No one has gone hungry or III
clad, Soup kitchens and bread lines are
FORGOTTEN clements Of nat!onA! iic.
Standards Of living have everywhere
advances. To increase the amount OF
food would cheaper II. Since more could
not Do consumed, to produce more
would mean waste, and the economic
cost which went 10 produce the waste
would necessarily be added to the cost
OF that which was consumed.
Moreover, it is, not the price paid the
farmers for his product that determines
the cost OF the food or clothing. TO re-
duce cost OF living must mean reouEsu
costs OF transportation, marketing ana
distribution; the !essening OF the margin
between the price which the consumer
rays for the ham and that which the
producer gets for the hog.
Agricultural production already has
overloaded tho marketing and trans
portation facilities OF the country. Just
now the country elevators are ti!Ied to
The roof with wheat and corn or oats
with lnadeauately market outlets. Hogs
and cattle have been held in feed-lots
until over prime because OF car shortage
congestion Or embargos. The 1920 grain
crop was threshed long before the l9l9
crop could all be marketed. On many
farms there IS not storage for this new
crop.
The export trade Is ever n coms!dera-
ton for the farmer. This Is particularly
true with pork and cotton. The price
and profits i'll hogs can be accurately
gaugcd by export demand. This demand
IS now cut of. Europe has ceased 70 be
our customer. For many weeks she has
been buying the accumulated SURPLUS
sr& Of other lands where exchange rates
are more favorable. while our wheat
pork. and cotton lie IN her warehouses
unsold. Not until European conditions
are settled. not until world markets be-
come stabilized will the outlook for In
creased production appeal to the man on
the land.
Present conditions do not seem to call
for or IN any sense warrant Increased
production. II our stomachs will hold no
more food. why produce It" II her" IS
enough 20 70 around and more can high
prices be charged TO under production"
II th"~a. i no place n home or abroad
fer ti.r surplus to go. why produce u
surplus" Should not the farmer as we'll
as the manufacturer study carefully the
supply demand and not produce moro
than can DC marketed At a proiit? Has
the public any more right TO ask the
farmer Ia grow his crops at less than
production cost than to ask the manu-
factnrcr.; Of shoes or steel to IGa1uta'-
tur their products at Il loss" ASricrl-
, tural overproduction means waste or
energy and fertility. IT d"plctes the fu-
ture future food supply. 1t must be a
vodcd.
However We arH not an advocate OF
under production. Far from It. Adequate"
production must he maintained. Under
production would. # persisted m Grip
pie all industry and react upon the tar-
mer himself The farmer Is the largest
single producer Of food. shoes. clothing
and lumber. lie uses more steel annual
! " than do railroads. Under production
| In any OF these essential lines hccom"
n vital factor in increasing the cost OF
AGRICULTURAL production.
| Reports that coal operators have re-