Omaha daily bee., 1921-04-12
Fair Deal for the Farmer
Better Dirision Of Return
VIII Solre HIS Problem

at Des Moines last week D. P. Hogan OF Omaha,
president OF the Federal Land bank OF Omaha,
had for his topic, "lowa-A $4,000 600 Acre
Farm" He discussed the farmers problem
| from intimacy born OF contact, and said among
/ other things:
There are 355750O0 acres of land in the
state OF Iowa; 9S.+ of this aera is productive
| farm land-a record unrivaed by any other
! equal area of land in the world. so it can we'll
be said that Iowa is 5,0o0000-acre farm.
need not go into details about the magnificent
production OF this great farm. Its annual prod
ucts are of greater value than are those of any
other equal area in the world Its total agricul-
tural. horticultural, dairy and live stock pro-
duction is more that 0O000000 annually. Its
climate for agricultural production is unsurpassed
Every year there are more hours Of sunshine in
Iowa than in California. Iowa has never known a
crop tallurc-some farm is this Iowa.
"As practically every dollar that comes into
Iowa is the product of an Iowa farm. practically
all OF the 900 people in Iowa may very we'll
be classed as farmers. True, they do not all live
III farm houses and cultivate the soil but they are
farmers, nevertheless.
This Iowa fam is comparatively new one
Men now living remember when it was wild
pralre with scattered stretches OF woodland .
We have seen that lowa's products have grown
from the mere plttance that sustained the first
few hardy pioneers of Is years ago. to an enor-
nous volume OF grain. meat, cream and other
farm products that not only sustain her present
population, but furnishes more food to feed the
world than any other like area Iowa's products
are largely staple and while they are necessities
and always in demand, their price cannot be con-
troled. but is established in the worlds markets.
The tillers OF the Iowa soil know that efforts
to control the price are fruitless; they wish,
however. that the channels from their granaries
and teedlots to the consumer be direct: that they
be kept open and that no excessive tolls be
charged on the way
SINCE almost every dollar that crosses the
border into the state is product OF the SOIL when
1t enters the state, that dollar should be divided
equltably between each of the 1aborers on this
great farm whether he tilis the soil, works on
the railroad, i'll the factory or mine in the mar
ket places or attends to the finances The till
cr OF the soil gets what is left after the other
workers have been paid for their services.
he dreadful suffering and loss of life and
the destruction OF capital not the only crimes
that can be charged up to war 1t disorganizes
society, creates sort of temporary prosperity
and leads people to think that things of value
can be created by the fiat of the government,
that business can be made to prosper bv LEGAL
ana kept higher by law. The ter of the soil en-
Joyed little temporary prosperity during the
war, Tor which he is now paying verv dearly
Ills prices went up and have now gone down. be-
cause t ne mas to compete in the worlds markets.
but nc now finds himself saddled with hielrfixe ed
charges ior freight taxes, construction mate
rails, machinery, fuel and other necessary art-
cies, from which it will take years to unburden
himself ~
The pity of it. too is that the organization re-
sponsble for the maintenance of these excessive
charges seem to think they are benefittng them
selves. while anyone with the exercise of little
reason ought to know that the ter of the soil
IS at the bottom OF all prosperity. that if the
tax taken before it reaches him and he receives very
little or nothing for his labor. he cannot buy the
things he needs. When he stops buying, labor
is not employed, the railroad traffic is limited
and the factories are idle.
when the others agree to accent fair
share OF the dollar and leave fair share for the
farmer, it will be a sign at least that we have
turned in the right direction. Nothing is more
certain than that no progress can be made to-
ward return to prosperity until the tiller of the
soil receives fair share in the dollar that the
consumer pays for his products
oince there is no question that general pros
perity is dependent upon the farmer receiving
iair snare OF the dollar that is paid for his prod
soll: but other, people in general, are interested
IN the economic marketing Of his products. This
IS subject that has engaged the attention Cf
every important committee OF the American Farm
bufeau n3, RECREATION tor several months past.
Ihe Federal Land bank of Omaha gathers
the individual mortgages of borrowers throughout
the states of Iowa, Nebraska. South Dakota nd
wyoming and issues against them under the s,,-
pervison of tile United States government,
standard Federal Land bank bond that is readily
accepted by investors as the choicest kind of Sc
curtv - ~
THE Federal Land bank is, not a profit
seeking institution and exacts no charge for its
services, except the actual cost of handling the
business. During the past year the cost Of its
service was $40 per cent per annum of the volume
0! It's loans. 1T has succeeded because it fur
nlshes the shortest, most direct and most eco
nnomically. conducted connection between the
farmer who needs the capital and the investor
who has money to loan
If all Iowa would unite in cooperating to
prevent waste and increase production. it would
add immensely to the prosperity not onlv of the
tillers of the soil, but also of every other in
habltant OF this great commonwealth"