Warren sheaf. [volume] (Warren, Marshall County, Minn.) 1880-current, 1921-08-03
RURAL ACTIVITIES AND NEWS
OF INTEREST TO THE FARMER

| ment is vOuched for by Thomas X. Cash.
man, Steele county farmer.
Many carloads of onions produced
near Dodge Center, Minnesota, were
dumped this year because freight rate
charges amounted to more than the
price of the onions on the market. This
statement issvouched for by c. L. Nc
Nelly, county agent:
Another report sent to the Minnesota
Farm Bureau federation states that a
farmer living near Hanley Falls, Mimi,
shipped COW hide to Minneapolis, re-
ceiving 63 cents for it, He paid freight
charges amounting to 50 cents, and
carriage charge of Is cents, leaving a
net deficit of cents. In other words,
the farmer contributed a COW hide to
| make pair of shoes for someone else
and paid cents for the privilege of
doing So
Another report received states that
a farmer living near LeSueur Center.
MIMI, shipped carload of hay to
St. Paul commission firm. The hay
weighed 26,66O pounds. The commits
sion firm allowed $3.50 a ton on a net
weight Of 26,334 pounds, making $73.15.
Freight amounted to $32.SS, demurrage
to $3.50, inspection fee So, commission
to $3.50, total $62.57. The farmer had
paid $50 for the bailing and loading
of the hay. But allowing nothing for
, cost Of production, labor, interest on in
vestment, the farmer received $1O.5S
for almost 1879 tons of hay.
Foreign Competition. American ag-
! riculture cannot prosper unless it is &C.
! accorded the same tariff protection
| that is accorded other American indus
try. So long as the farmer is compelled
| to buy on protected market, he must
be allowed to sell on protected market
or be reduced by competition with for
| eign peasants and poems to condition
disastrous and unthinkable.
Marketing. Cooperation of the pro-
ducers in distributing their products is
! entitled to fair trial in open competi-
ton with the existing system. and con-
gress should enact necessary clarifying
legislation to guarantee the right of the
producer and the consumer to this trial.
The trend of prices during the last
few months has demonstrated conclu-
sively that there are grave weaknesses
in the system by which the nations
food is now distributed. The present
system has failed miserably to reflect
the decline in prices to the producer in
an equal or even appreciable decline in
cost to the consumer. The farmer is
convinced that the spread between farm
and table is absolutely unwarranted as
J it now exists.
! When eggs were selling at 10 cents
dozen at Worthington, Mimi, two
eggs in st. Paul, Mimi, restaurants
cost % to 35 cents, and neighborhood
groceries in Minneapolis, MIMI, charg-
ed 50 to 40 cents dozen.
| Approximately 40 per cent of the to-
tai agricultural output Of Minnesota is
handled locally by farmers co-opera-
tive marketing associations.
Urge Stevenson Bill
We strongly urge the passage of the
|bill recently introduced by Representa-
tive Halvor STEVENSON, Minnesota, pro-
viding changes in federal grain grades
as they apply to the spring wheat pro-
ducing region. We feel that this mea-
sure offers the only relief at this time to
farmers of the northwest who are now
penalized by technicalities in grading,
which reduce the price on grain which
is of milling value meriting higher
price than that paid under federal
grades.
Taxation. The Farmers of Minnesota
are virtually unanimous in opposition
to the enactment of a general sales tax,
tax on land holding, and repeal of
| the excess profits tax.
In a referendum conducted by this
organization through county and town.
ship caucuses, nearly 10000 farmers ex-
pressed their views on taxation. They
voted 25,812 to 2,61O against the enact
ment of a. general sales tax. They voted
,415 to 1879 against the repeal Of the
excess profits tax.
| The public welfare demands that no
new burdens be placed on the producers
of the nations food at least until his
markets and his ability to reach those
| markets and sell at price equal to the
! cost of production and a fair profit are
restored.
| Yours truly,
| Minnesota Farm Bureau Federation,
! L. E. Potter, President.
| Haniiicaps of Farmers
Following are additional specific in
stances of the handicaps under which
farmers in Minnesota and other north
western states are endeavoring to pro-
duce the food required by the people of
the United States.
Warren, Mimi, July 20.-I wanted to
ship some seed rye from Warren to
Holt, Minn.,, distance of about 40
miles, the freight rate from Warren to
Holt on rye sakcked is twenty-five cents
per hundred; in other words, about
II cents per bushel.
There was a farmer living in Penn
bina county, NJ. OAK, who wanted to
buy a carload of oats. The distance
is about Is miles and the freight rate
from Warren to Glasston was about 30
cents per 100. The result was that it
raised the price Of oats so high that
the farmer could not afford to buy the
oats. Another instance, last spring the
writer wanted to buy carload Of seed
wheat at Langdon, N. Oak, to be ship
ped to Warren, MINI. The agent ad-
vised that the freight rate on a car load
of wheat would be 30 cents per 100.
lgTho result was that If would make the