The Grangeville globe. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho) 1907-1922, 1921-03-24

When | say the farmers, l might as
well include all classes, as anything
that affects the farmer e. e. ADDS to or
detracts from his prosperity is Inn
mediately passed on, and through dit
ferent channels reaches all business
and all classes.
In your interview that l have men-
toned, you told Of our troubles, but
you did not suggest remedy.
Perhaps there are already too many
suggestions; nevertheless, IL you will
give me a few minutes of your time, l
am going to suggest a remedy that has
been endorsed by every farmer, law
yer. doctor, merchant and banker that
l have put it up to. and it has been
outlined to good many Of them.
To begin with, we claim that the
price paid for wheat is one of the
main business barometers of this coun-
try What outside of civil war condi-
tons there never was time when
wheat brought good price that we
| hdu a lhVhNN ANShehCA wa
there ever time when wheat was sell
| ing below the cost OF production, or
at an exceedingly low figure, when
this money stringency or panicky con
dition was not with US.
The deduction follows: Stabilize
the price of wheat according to the
cost of production and you will stab
ilize business conditions; every year
will be practically the same as the
year before and the year to come. after
this policy once gets In thorough OPP
GRAFTON.
Naturally the cost of production
varies greatly, one year with another,
and we would have to have some basis
from which to work.
In the interview referred to you
made mention OF the possibilities Of
production by one man, by the use of
labor-saving machinery. This is one
of the keys to the situation.
We are in a machinery age. There
| is no hand labor that enters into the
production of wheat. The human ele
ment enters into it only In the care
and direction of some machine. hence
the two great items that we must con-
slider in the cost of production, is the
cost of that machine and the cost OF
steel.
We believe the government should
fix the price Of wheat from year to
year, and that all wheat should be
marketed through the government at
this fixed price; price to be fixed ac-
cording to the cost of steel and farm
machinery.
For illustration to arrive at this
ration, take the ten-year period from
of Chicago which is a great wheat
market and also large producer of
farm machinery; take the average
number of bushels of wheat it requir-
ed during that ten-year period to pur-
chase the different machines used in
the production of wheat, and the aver
age number of bushels of wheat it re-
quired to purchase a ton of steel !;
maintain this ratio. basing the price
of wheat on the cost of steal and farm
machinery and the profit in producing
this great staple crop will not fluctu-
ate, only in local way on accouR of
climatic conditions.
OF course, to make this gifted
edge business proposition for the gov
cannot lose money, there would have
to be some strings on production. Prob
| ably they would never have to be pull
ed
With normal production of
| slightly over seven hundred million
bushels, and consumption of approx
imately six hundred million bushels,
slight reduction in the acreage plant
ed would bring production down to
home demands. Everybody with a
spark Of human feeling in their sys-
tenn has deep sympathy for, and will
mitigate so far as possible. the suffer
| lngs of the starving millions of Eur
ope, but why should we add millions
to our own people TO the multitudes
of Europe?
Why should we cause sorrow and
trouble. financial loss and distress to
from fifty 10 seventy-five per cent of
our people by the production of
food products. when Europe is unable
to buy and there is no one to pay the
bills?
Europe should place her orders
months ahead for her requirements.
then government price-fixing and con,
troll of our great staple crops would
remedy our trouble.
If the cost of steel and farm mach
inery places the price of our products
SO high that Europe will not buy. we
could then curtail our production to
home requirements and avoid the IT,
| uanciaI Lose and Suffarfnoy tbot aIu,av