The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1921-11-16
Official Crop Reports Provide
Safeguard, Says MOhIer.
Producer Is Given Relief From
Market Gambler.
SPEAKS IN COWLEY COUNTY
Reports Stabilize Business, De-
clares Agricultural Secretary.
Are Released to the Public at
Given Hour.

Hackney. Kan. Nov 16.-Official
crop reports by the state and govern
ment provide the safeguard which pro-
tects the farmer and crop producer
from the market gamblers and sharps,
according to ]. c. Mohler, secretary of
the state board of agriculture. In a
speech before the Cowley County
Farm and Home institute here, Secre-
tary Mohler said the marketing public
would be the helpless victim of the
gambler and Spectator were protec-
ton not provided thru official report
ing organizations.
In his speech here Secretary Mohler
showed that the official crop reports
are released to the public at large at
a given hour and thus can be used to
slight advantage. if a all, by the board
OF trade manipulators. Official crop
reports are about the only safeguard
which the farmer now has against the
grain gamblers and spectators" he
said. Secretary Mohler also asserted
that the crop reports had a ten
dency to stabilize business conditions
generally.
Secretary Mothers Speech.
Continuing he said in part:
boards of Trade and many commercial
enterprises have their own machinery Tor
gathering information for private use. Iney
gather data for themselves. and are well
advised. The state and national depart
ments gather information for the farmer
and the public which have no other source
OF authentic, reliable and official informa-
tion. Concerns whose business depends on
what the farmer produces. are. advised
thru private sources, and the farmer. VINO
has so much ut stake. has no Information
except as gathered and disseminated in
his behalf by the state federal govern
Moreover. if it were not for reliable. I'M
biased, impartial and fair Information
from these official sources. there would
y oh m
blers and commercial interests. and no
protection from their fakes and schemes
that otherwise might be attempted. In
other words. without these official reports,
the producer would be left in the dark,
prey of the grain shark-at the mercy OF
the gambler Grain gamblers would like
nothing better than to manufacture their
own facts, and absence of official crop
reports would soon give them n greater
control of the markets than they now
ut may be safely said that no industry
the truth. The material welfare of the
American farmer is increased in proper
tion to the intelligent knowledge that he
possesses regarding crop acreages and
productions In this way the farmers are
kept better posted each year.
Accurate Information Needed.
".ilI nations have recognized the impera
tive need Of accurate Information regard
in.- their agricultural productions, as is
rt-"stcd by the elaborate and compre-
h"nsive departments and bureaus that
tr'"s for centuries for gathering such
la. one of the most extensive bureaus
g. tie L. S. department of agriculture is
itt bureau of Markets and Statistics, the
$50 work Of which is to secure authentic
C1ta for the public regarding crops. pro-
d~' tiOns. markets and other items calcu-
lated to serve real need. This one fact
alone. that we have this well established
bureau. would seem to be sufficient evil
dence that it is rendering a service that
the public welfare demand. Surely. no gov
ernment. anywhere. would maintain nm
institution the work of which was harmful
on the contrary, the primary excuse for
the existence for such bureaus is the bene-
fit that will accrue to producers.
Some LaSe their criticisms on the ground
that crop reporting affects market prices.
and those who make such criticisms leave
the Inference that markets are always adj
versely affected. BIT in crop reporting the
bad Is noted rs well as the good. If crop
reporting influences prices. then prices
must go up in bad crop years, and go
down in good crop years. In that case
producers would have no complaint as to
the average 50 far rs crop reporting is
involved, for it is the average to which
they must look. We can no more expect
high prices for short years to he per
mHnrntly maintained any more than we
wOrld expect low prices in fat years to
continue indefinitely. 1t must he conceded
that supply and demand in a broad way, |
determines prices
Farmers Are Benefited.
Farmers are benefited by crop reports
being kept informed of crop prospects ana |