The New York herald., 1921-03-13
HELP THE FARMER.
Y WALLACE PLEADS
Prices of Farm Products Must
Else to Help All Busi-
ness, He Says.
SEEKS SURPLUS OUTLET
Ipdicts Statesmen for Ideal
istic Schemes and
Theories.
SEEKS SURPLUS OUTLET

wAsHISGToN, March 12.--An appeal
for every good citizen to do what he can
to help the farmers through the period
of depression. not for the sake Of helping
the farmer alone, but for the sake Of
helping himself. was made to-day by
Secretary Of Agriculture Wallace in his
first formal statement
Prices of farm products must rise and
prices of other products come down be-
fore the normal relation between them
las been restored, Mr. Wallace asserted.
Talk Of bringing prices back to a pre-
war level he declared. is morally
wrong and economically impossible"
adding that everybody would be better
off, If an effort was made to bring
about a price level. SAY 20 per cent,
above the pre-war normal"
Secretary Wallace said he doubted
whether the people in the East realize
Just what has happened to the farmers
of the producing sections" Citing con-
otions in the central West as an ex-
ample, he said. that there, notwithstand-
ing that I'VE have the finest rural civil
ization. taken as a whole, the world
ever has seem" the farmers are now
in "a most trying period and are suffer
ing severe financial losses" Farmers
throughout the nation. especially those
In the South and West, he added. are
experiencing exactly the same trouble
The widespread agricultural depres-
sion results from the high cost OF pro-
duction and because farm products have
dropped "out of ali proportion" to the
prices of other things, Mr.. Wallace
said
While the farmer he continued. lis
selling the things he produces at prices
no higher and for great surplus crops,
lower than the pre-war normal he
must buy practically everything he
needs at prices from SO to 15O per cent.
above the pre-war normal. As long
as such a condition continues, he
added, the severe agricultural depres-
sion is inevitable and it will certainly
oe communicated to industry and busi-
ness generally"
1T is a terrible indictment of our
modern civilization" Mr.. Wallace as
serted, when this great country is in
the period of what might almost be
called economic chaos because of our
great surplus food supply. while across
the seas, in both directions, almost half
The world is suffering for want of food.
If our statesmen had given more
thought. TO getting the world back on
a sound economic basis and perhaps
had spent less time on idealistic
schemes and theories they would have
rendered a great contribution TO the
peace and orderliness and happiness OF
the people on the earth
The department, the Secretary said.
would do everything possible to find an
outlet for the great food surplus. Ways
OF producing more cheaply, new uses
for surplus crops and better marketing
systems, he said would help the situa-
ton.
Everything which influences the pro-
duction and price must be considered,
the Secretary said-competition from
foreign lands where the standards of liv-
ing are lower than here. world condi-
tions of supply and demand administra-
tion OF the credit machinery and of the
transportation system. Those who con-
troll the finances Of the country have
the power to influence. either directly
or indirectly, through credit extension, a
large amount of control over prices OF
farm products. he asserted, adding
I'm short. the people of the nation
must come TO understand that our pros
perity as a nation depends upon a pros
perous and wholesome agriculture