The patriot. (Glenmora, La.) 1918-1955, 1922-03-10
TARIFF REDUCES
FARM MARKETS
With Factories Closed Consumers
Cannot Purchase.
CUBA WAS A BIG BUYER
Cannot Export Produce Unless Other
Countries Can Sell Us.
CUBA WAS A BIG BUYER
By n. E. MILES,
Chairman Of the Fair Tariff League.

In small town in an agricultural
section Of the United States, not far
from the Canadian border, there is Il
glove factory, THIS concern has been
for years scllin" q large part Of lis
product annually II Canada Con
gres5 In the Emergency Tariff Act
placed OF goods imported from CHnad3
2 = tariff 50 high that it made it unproift-
! able for the Canadians longer to sell
I their goods in the American market
! The small town glove factory, aHl0ng
many others, lost its Canadian mar
! ket and had to shut down.
1t is an economic law that nation
buys where It sells It must Do this
il order TO have money to pay It's
bills in the country where the bills
are contracted
Canada being unable to sell her
goods in this country was forced t.
sell her surplus elsewhere. Naturally.
, then, she supplied her nceiGs in other
markets But this particular glove
factory is important because Of Its
effect on the prosperity of the nearby
farmers.
The plight Of this factory'is an ex-
ample On how the prosperity Of every
interest in this. country is dope .Henc
upon the prosperity Of practically ev-
cry other interest. This glove factory
is the mainstay Of the town. Prac-
. tically all the wage earners work
there When their means Of livelihood
was cut off their ability to purchase
was gone.
The smaller farmers who had q
ready market IT their very doors for
their butter and eggs and other farm
products found it necessary to seek
other ana less satisfactory markets
out of town. But when they got ont
into the world market they found that
something was happening.
Everything they tried to sell was sold
at a greatly reduced price, but every
ching that they attempted to buy they
found was reduced only Slightly in
price or not reduced at all. ..
The Farmer Whipsawed
Many complicated factors enter into
u situation of this kind, but one of the
most Important factors is the tariff.
have shown in a previous article that
in at least two commodities, those Of
sugar and wool, the tariff protection
accorded by the increased rates on
these two commodities does not reach
the farmer. but stops with and en-
riches the manufacturer ="
There is a chemical plant in the
state of New Jersey which makes fer
tilizer product for the Cuban market.
Cuba's sugar industry has been prac-
tically ruined by q so per cent increase
in the tariff on raw sugar. Cuba is
unable to buy the product of this chem
ical factory One thousand men are
out Of work. The fa1silies of these
one thousand men would use at least
a thousand dozen of eggs a week and
not less than a thousand pounds OF
butter and certainly net less than
three thousand pounds of meat, all
products of the American farmer.
But in the case of Cuba there is even
q more direct loss of market to the
farmer
4 glance at the trade reports shows
farmers most important customers. In
1920 Cuba purchased OF us more than
so per cent of all our exports of hogs
lard compounds, canned sausage, rice
potatoes, beans and onions. She rank
cd second amGng the nations in thel
purchase of our cattle, horses, mules,
picked pork. sausage other than can
ned. poultry, cheese, sWeetened con-
densed milk, cocoa and prepared choco-
hate and corn. She ranked third in theI
purchase of hams and shoulders, mis-
CeIlaneous canned meat products, hayt
ard hour. Cuba bought from II; duriHgI
1919 and 1920 over SS5,000,000 WORTH
of truck gardening and farm products,
over S6,G00.O00 worth Of live stock,
ever $15,000,000 worth Of dairy prod
ucts. over $60,000. 900 worth Of meat
products, over $G3 ,000000 worth Of
cotton cloth and over 100000 worth
of manufactures of cotton.
Farmer Needs Cuban Market
1t is pretty evident, then, that the
American farmer needs his Cuban mar
ket 1t is further quite clear that If
tIlS tIipI liIbuS 81 sui IItuS
cultural goods were dumped on the
home market his prices would slump
still more.
Now. where does Cuba get the money
with which to purchase our goods
The answer is sugar" Cuba produces
100000 tons of sugar annually. This
enormous crop is the mainstay of Gu
ban prosperity. If it fails her, She must
GO bankrupt About one-half Of her
output OF sugar SHE sells in the United
States.
If an increased tasiff makes It i'm
possible for Cuba TO sell her sugar In
this country her power to buy goods
here Is going to be cut off.
We sold Cuba s515,G0o,0o0 worth Of
goods In 1920 and large part Of
these sales we're manufactured prod
-ucts.
As in the case Of the little town that
was dependent upon the glove factory
for its existence and ceeIld not buy its
supplies from the surrounding turner's
when the factory shut dawn. SO IN gen.
arof ;e An,ns.;nan rYaR,lfaCt iIrpFS are