The Glasgow courier. [volume] (Glasgow, Mont.) 1913-current, 1922-01-27
GIVE FARMERS A SQUARE DEAL
IS PLEA OF PRESIDENT HARDING

must be responsible for doing the rest
and must themselves learn organiza-
ton and the practical proceedings of
cooperation.
Lack of essential information, Mr..
Harding asserts, was one of the most
serious obstacles to a proper balanc-
ing of agricultural production. All
too frequently, he said, such informa-
ton is gathered by private interests,
"whose concern is private profit rath-
er than the general good"
with proper financial support for
agriculture, and with instrumental
ties for the collection and dissemina-
ton of useful information" he added,
" a group of cooperative marketing
organizations would be able to advise
their members as to the probable de-
mand for staples, and to propose
measures for limitation of acreages
in particular crops. The certainty
that each scientific distribution of pro-
duction vas to be observed, would
strengthen the credit Of agriculture
and increase the security on which fl
~nancial advances could be made to it.
The disastrous effects which arise
from overproduction are notorious. y
II X
"It is apparent that the interest Of
the consumer, quite equally with that
of the producer, demands measures to
prevent these violent fluctuations
which result from unorganized and
haphazard production. Indeed, the
statistics of the entire subject clearly
demonstrate that the consumers con-
Germ for better stabilized conditions is
quite equal to that of the producer.
The farmer does not demand special
consideration to- the disadvantage of
any other class; he asks only for that
consideration which shall place his
vital industry OF a parity of oppor-
tunity with others and enable it to
serve the broadcast interest"
Turning to the subject of transport
tation, the president said that "if
broad visioned craftsmanship shall es-
tablish fundamentally sound policies
toward transportation, the present
crisis will one day be regarded as a
piece Of good fortune to the nation"
ITO this time railroad construction,
financing and operation" he added,
shave been unscientific and devoid Of
proper consideration for the wider con-
Germs of the community. To say this is
simply to admit a fact which applies
to practically every railroad system
in the world"
Waterways have been too long ne
elected in America, he declared, add
ing that 1--WE need a practical devel-
opment Of water resources for both
transportation and power"
"A large share of railway tonnage is
coal for railway fuel" he said. "The
experience of railway identification
demonstrates the possibility of reduc-
ing this waste and increasing eff
cheney: We may begin very soon to
consider plans to electrify our rail
roads. If such a suggestion seems to
involve inordinate demands upon our
financial and industrial power it NAV
be replied that three generations ago
the suggestion of building 26O, 900
miles of railroads in this country
would have been secuted as a financial
and industrial impossibility. Water
ways Improvement represents not only
the possibility Of expanding our trans
portation system, but also of produc-
ing hydro-electric power for it's oper-
alton and for the activities of widely
diffused industry"
Telling of the advantages which
Europe enjoys because of its easy &C.
cess to the sea, "the surest and cheap
est transportation facility" the presi-
dent said that in the United States "is
presented one of the worlds most at
tractive opportunities for extension of
the seaways many hundred miles in
land"
"The heart of the continent, with it's
vast resources in both agriculture and
industry he added, "would be brought
in communication with all the ocean
routes by the execution of the St.
Lawrence waterway project. To enable