Evening star., 1921-09-11
FARMERS NOT TO GET
A CLASS PROSPERITY
Agricultural Bloc in Congress Committed
to Program Which Looks to. Better
Times for Whole People:


Inquiry on the third and fourth items
is still progressing and the report
will probably not be made before De-
cember 1.
1t is apparent that the pecessary
dig-up on which to arrive at con-
clusions could not be- made on the
basis of original investigation or re-
search. So the joint commission had
to make points Of contact with the
departments of the government. such
as Agriculture and Commerce. with
various industrial and commercial as
sociations, farm organizations. rail-
road and shippers organizations. and
establish in these organizations GER
tain committees which were asked to
furnish certain specific information
on the basis Of questionnaires.
Questionnnires Sent Out.
For example, in the case of the rail-
roads. more than ninety question:
naires have been sent out. based on
this transportation analysis: QC The
relation Of freight costs to-(a) the
price received by the agriculturist for
his product, (b) the price paid by the
agriculturist for his necessities. (c)
the price paid for agricultural prod
ucts by the ultimate consumer. (2)
The relationship Of freight cost Ito
taD of one agricultural product to the
other as they may affect the relative
difference in the prices received by
the producer.
Service-(3J The relationship Of sup
ply and shortage to the prices re-
ceived by the agriculturist.
Dollar relationships-(4) What re-
lationship exists, between the purchas-
ing power Of the agriculturist's dollar.
the railroad dollar and the railroad
employees dollar? 90 A study of in
land waterway transportation-its
present and potential relationship to
agriculture and the railroads. co., A
similar study Of motor transportation.
CD a similar study Of coastwise traf-
flc. (s) A study Of the volume Of .ex-
ports and imports -. of agricultural
products. CO.. Does normal or in
creased volume Of railroad trafno in
agricultural products mean that
freight rates are. OF, are not. more
than the traffic will bear"y. Q0) TO
what extent are the existing levels OF
freight rates responsible for the -6e-
dation in prices received by the agri-
cuiturists for his products? f -
Assuming frst. that
rates must. Of necessity, be related to
the trend of economic and market
conditions: and. second assuming that
at present rates DO mot baHr. their
proper relationship to economic con-
ditions- and price levels, what factors
impede proper readjustments?.: (12)
Turnover as related to local and
through rates. j., --r .%N.y
While the joint commission has had
practically no personnel of Its own.
in this way it has had thousands. Of
expert statisticians employed byst
railroads working on the answers to
these questions. Similarly it has had
hundreds of experts working on the
credits problem. >,
Good Already Resulted.
So that the commissions report will
show statistically Just what the In
dustrial situation is and where each
cent went all along the. line between
the producer and the consumer. each
agency in the economic scheme-the
railroads. the grain elevators, the
market men-all along the line. have
been checked, each against the other,
to get down to the real facts for the
first time. The report is being work.
ed out with great economic detail.
Already the work Of the commits
sion along this line has borne good
fruit. for men who thought they
knew all about their own business
when called upon to answer specifi-
cally in these questionnaires found
out they knew very little and have
set about reforming their own busi-
ness in the light of their new concep-
ton. In this way many things have
already been eliminated which were
brought to the surface by the inquiry
of the Anderson commission.
1t must not be lost sight of that
one of the big facts which developed
Immediately when the commission
set to work was the absolute neces-
sity for additional credit to market
crops. both here and abroad. That
situation was temporarily taken care
of by emergency legislation amend
ing the war finance act.