The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1921-07-07
for farmers products"


that the business Of meat packing is
absolutely essential to the continual
ton of our live stock industry.
"The developement of these paints
has been matter of national PRIDE
he continued. "They offer market
for cattle, hogs, and sheep every bus
mess day in the year. But their very
size has giver them such dominance
in the business of killing live stock
and marketing meat products that
they are, in effect, if not in fact, of
the nature of public utilities. 1t
would be greatly to the disadvantage
of our agriculture if anything should
be done which would impair the eff
ficiency of these plants are conduct
ell or impose unjust additions to their
cost of operation. But the farmer is
entitled to know That these plants are
operated in such way as to give him
just prices for his live stock, and the
consumer is entitled to know that the
meat products are marketed at rea-
sonable cost"
The Secretary declared that if such
legislation should be enacted and its
administration should be placed I'M
der the Department of Agriculture, the
law would be administered fairly to
all concerned and in full knowledge
of the importance of the idustry and
its necessity to a prosperous agricul-
ture.
Referring to the need for closer
relation between agriculture and busi-
ness, the Secretary said:
"The period OF agricultural exploit
tation is practically at an end and, if
production is to b. maintained, every
effort must be made to put agriculture
or thoroughly soand basis. In times
past those of our farmers who have
gotten ahead financially have done so
largely through the increased value
of their land caused by growing
population. The farmers of the future
can not hope to profit largely in this
way. If production is to be main
tanned, the farmer must be able to get
prices for his products which will give
him a fair rate Of interest on the
money he has invested and a fair
wage for his labor and the labor OF
his family. Lacking this the farm
e. will turn his efforts in some other
direction.
"Now, if the farmer is to get .
fair wage and, a. the same time, sell
his crops at prices which the people
of the country can afford to pay, we
must not only increase our production,
but we must find better methods of
distribution. We must get the prod
ucts of the farm 10 the city with less
waste and at less relative cost. Also
must learn how to take some Of the
speculative risk out of farming.
"In one sense the farmer is the
greatest speculator in the world. His
business is subjected to risks which
he can not insure against. He is at
the mercy of the weather. In an hour
a hailstrom may completely destroy
the results of six months work.
Drought and floods alike reduce his
income. He has no means Of correct
ly estimating hte demand for the
crops he proposese to produce. He
can not control production as can the
manufacturers. He has nothing to say
about the price. What he gets for
lbs crops constitutes his wages, but he
does not know until six months or a
year after the work is done what his
wages are to be > If in times past
we had seen mora clearly the inter-
dependence of agriculture and busi-
ness, if we had given the same scien-
tific study to the methods Of disvribu-
ton that we have given to methods
of production, it is reasonable to be-
lieve that much of the trouble we are
now experiencing might have been
avoided.
The Beginning of New Period.
"When we have worked our way
through this period of depression and
have shaken off the grip of these
economic forces which are now caus-
ing us so much discomfort we will
find ourselves at the beginning of a
new period in our national life. Up
to the present time this nation, like
Topsy, has "just growed." In the
future there must be more conscious
direction of our growth and much
closer coordination of our various ac-
Ur.o hofu-aon