Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1921-01-14
FIFTEENTH ANNUAL GRAIN
CONVENTION MEETSH HERE

declared Harry f. Goldsworthy
president of the Washington State
Grain Growers, Shippers and Millers
association, in his opening address
before the 18th annual convention
OF the organization in the State Col
lege auditorium Tuesday, January
II.
"Pessimsm rather than optim-
ism" said Mr.. Goldsworthy in open
ing, "characterizes this years CON
vention, and many who would liked
to have come could not afford the
$40 or SIS necessary to make the
trip"
Mr.. Goldsworthy believes that al
though the farmer prepared his har-
vest with the idea of getting good
prices and paid enormous wages for
his labor. he is not ready to quit.
! The air of the convention is as much
What can we do to right things,
as it is to wonder what the trouble
! il.
While hides sell at IA cents, a pair
of shoes costs $12; wool sells for 20
cents and a suit of clothes ranges in
price from $50 to $50; cherries at
8 cents per pound sold in Seattle for
| 40 cents; and apples that sold at
$3.50 per box, retail at $3.50. Such
a margin in prices between producer
and consumer shows that something
is wrong. That something the speak
er declared was not production, but
need of stabilized marketing.
The farmer might bear silently a
reduction of 10 to l per cent, but
with a reduction of so per cent in
selling price, it is no wonder that
| the young men of the farm leave for
more enticing prospects. Statistics
show that there are 100000 acres of
abandoned farms in the United
State, and that the average age of
the farmer is Is years. IF there
| is to be no increase in financial ben
eft to the farmer" said Mr. Colds
worthy in closing, then back to the
farm movements are so much wasted
| energy
d. G. O'Shea, president of the Fed
eral Land bank, Spokane, discussed
Farm Finance" with special refer
ence to wheat farming. His SEIZED
uled address was prefaced by short
talk about the federal land banks
in an effort to clear up the state.
ment published in the Review thai
farm loans are to be taxed. Fedora
farm loans are of two kinds, the fed
eral land bank and joint stock lane
banks. The latter is a private cor
poration operated in the interests Of
capital and subject to the supervi.
sion of land bonds and restricted by
law. Both issue farm loan bonds
but only the privately owned ones
are taxed. The speaker cautioned
farmers against borrowing money
even on easy terms, however, for the
paying back time always comes
The question of financing the farm
er will be solved" he said, when
farming is placed upon a paying
basis
Mr.. OShea banked through the
panics of 1898 and 1907 and de-
clares that if the banking system
were the same now as then, the U.
5. would never have come through
the war without a breakdown of its
| financial institutions. The federal
reserve system saved the country
from financial ruin.
Other countries have gone through
the same experiences, but in every
case decay of morals came through
the decay of agriculture. But with
all the urging of back to the farm
Mr.. O'Shea declared it is always a
question of urging the other fellow
! back
The plan which he had to offer
was that the farmers band together
in every locality as corporations and
own their own machinery, granaries,
etc.
Wednesday afternoon, S. c. Arm
strong, Milwaukee Elevator company
Seattle, spoke on the subject of The
Lffect of the Panama Canal on Ship
ping Rates and Shipping" The sub
stance of his address was that the
war followed so closely upon the
completion of the Panama Canal that
it is hard to tell what effect it will
have on Pacific Coast rates. AS an
advantage for world commerce, there
is no question. Tonnage has in
creased year by year; ocean shipping
will change the trade routes of the
world.
'In times past" Armstrong said
the United States has had condi-
tion peculiar TO itself. We must adj
| lust ourselves 10 other conditions op5