The Birmingham age-herald., 1922-01-24
IMMEDIATE AID
 FOR FARMERS IS
 DECLARED VITAL
Harding, Wallace and Others Stress Seriousness of the Present Crisis and Sug-
 geSt Remedies
By Associated Press

eAS@NNAA6 ecAAf aAiohAN diate relief must be given the farm CTS in the present agricultural crisis, delegates to the national agricul- tural conference, which convened | here today, were told by speakers representing every phase of this in- dustry. President Harding, who opened the conference with an ad dress; Secretary Wallace, farmers and representatives of industries de- pendent on agriculture, emphasized the seriousness of the situation and suggested remedies.
 The remedial measures outlined by President Harding and subsequently, indorsed by many of the speakers, in- cluded more adequate financial facil- ities, especially working capital, for tho farmer, long time loans to pro- Vide for his turnover, extension of the | cooperative marketing, buying and loan associations of farmers; devel- opment Of waterway transportation and power possibilities; more effici- tent machinery for collecting and dis tributing market information, in- eluding the demand and consumptive outlook; development of the St. Law tence-Great Lakes waterways prof. eet. and assurance to agriculture of equality of opportunity with all other industries
 Demand Rate Reductions
 Demand for reduction of freight tates was also voiced generally by ! Fsff TIT ara aA d, | prices was suggested as a necessary l step to start increased consumption of farm products,
 i Depression atn agricallure, N hich was declared to be general in the United States, is reflected in indus 1 tries intimately connected with and dependent on prospefous agricui ture, it was asserted by representa- lives of the milling, packing, fertili- Ger and implement industries. Each or the latter pledged full co-opera- tion with agriculture in any effort to restoration Of normal conditions.
 Secretary of Agriculture Wallace outlined the purpose of the confer ence after President Harding had de- ilvered his address, and Representa- tive Anderson of Minnesota was then made permanent chairman.
 Name I2 Committees
 Twelve major committees were ap- pointed to study various problems with the view of submitting recom- mendations.
 The delegates and their families to- night were guests of President and Mrs. Harding at a~reception at the White House.
 William Jennings Bryan, who was in the audience, was called to the platform late in- the afternoon and described the conference as one ot the most important held in this coun- try in a long time. Agriculture, he said. was in the worst condition in 30 years. and he could not see how there could be any general prosperity until the condition of the farmer was improved.
 Touching on other questions, he de- clared that the present Congress had done more than the previous ones, because I think it is more scared than other Congresses" Praising the agricultural bloc, he said 1t was different from other "blocs" because its members acted openly and the others acted secretly"
 situations Described
 The situations of the various great farming sections of the country were
  and the effect Of the depressed sgri- cultural conditions on the allied in- dustres was discussed during the afternoon. Pohn Ii. Hagan of North Dakota, speaking for the wheat belt; A. Sykes of Iowa, for the corn belt, James w. Morton of Georgia, for the cotton belt; II. Bixby of California, for the live stock producers. and E. B. Cornwall, for remedial measures, most of them touching on reduction of freight rates and retail prices.
 Several of the speakers advocated acceptance sby the government of Henry Ford's offer for the Muscle Shoals plant.
 Speakers representing industries dependent on agriculture followed.
 The agricultural depression has ''al- most demoralized" the farm imple- ment industry, w. Fl. Stackhouse of Springfield, C.. declared, citing as evidence that sales in tr2l were about 90 per cent of normal. During the past nine months, he added, farm im- plement factories have averaged about 20 per cent, normal production.
 Farm implements manufactuEers, he said, reduced prices one-haf of the advance over the pre-war level and they have pocketed extensive inventory losses on raw material, and expect to stand further such losses.'
 Profit Turned to Loss
 Thomas l.. Wilson of Chicago. pres dent of the Institute of American Meat Packers. declared that the agri- cultural depression had been a great factor in reducing "tremendously" the value of the packing industry output. upsetting stability oy forcing live stock and packing house products be- low the general level of commodity value and turning small rate of profit into large loss The packer. he said. has done everything in his power to assist agriculture in tiding over the critical period. The farmer. he continued, "has done much of his liquidation through the packer and the packer has succeeded in getting this huge volume of production, sur- plus and all. over to the consumer. though at a great loss.
 Mr. Wilson suggested much might be done by increasing meat consump- tion, saying this ''would go long way toward restoring the parity be- tween live stock and otDer basic com- modlties."
 Production. MT. Wilson declared.
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