Evening star., 1922-01-01
Part Of Big Plan to
Get Workers Back
on Job.
When Farmer Is Buying
Wheels of Industry
Are Kept Turning.
BY WILL p. KENNEDY.

- United States and represent
approximately half Of the purchasing
power in this country. thus constitute
ing the one big basic industry. the
Department of Agriculture has girded
its loins to herculean efforts toward
economic readjustment which will
bring about general prosperity.
There can't be any general pros
perity or any stimulated business
unless the farmer does two things
first, produce raw materials to be used
in manufacture. and, second, sell that
raw material at sufficient price so
that he can buy back the commodities
made in manufacture from the raw
material.
Recognizing this fact and emphasiz-
ing the need for developing both
agriculture and industry to get a
well rounded nation" President
Harding has just instructed Secretary
Wallace to call a national conference
to consider agricultural problems as
related to national welfare and pros
perity. In directing that this con-
ference be held the President ex-
presses his accord with the program
the Department of Agriculture Is al
ready working upon to strengthen
business from the ground up.
The farmers share Of the purchas-
Ing power of this country is better
than 40 per cent. so he is really the
preponderant balance OF purchasing
power II the farmer isn't selling his
goods and isn't able to buy his share
from the manufacturing Industries.
the wheels of the entire structure of
Industrial machinery must slow up
and the country will have idleness.
situation as Secretary Henry c. Wal
lace sees it. and he is directing the
activities Of the Department of Agri-
culture along many lines so that this
basic industry will take it's proper
place in the economic and Industrial
revival looking toward general pros
perity. and in way that will not
only meet the present emergency, but
will work for permanent economic
agricultural and Industrial prepared
ness.
So keen is the interest Of the De-
partment Of Agriculture in bringing
back prosperity and then keeping 1T
that Secretary Wallace has been
bending his efforts chiefly on reor-
ganization of the army Of paid en-
ployes and the still larger army Of
voluntary helpers so as to bring about
the best results with least efforts.
There are approximately 10000 en-
rioyes on the Department OF Agricul-
ture payrolls. either full or part-time
workers. There are 10000 to $4,000
not on the payrolls who are cooper
ating with the department, who are
at full-time work in state colleges.
etc There is an additional 250,000
persons furnishing voluntary reports
on crops, weather, fires. etc. Thus
Secretary Wallace has the co-opera-
tion OF the best experts on agricul-
ture advising and working with him
to bring about and maintain pros
perity-in the same way that Secre
tary Hoover has gathered about him
the experts in industry and business.
y <
Right here it is proper to. quote the
reply Of Secretary Wallace to the
question. What are the steps neces-
sary in 1922 to hasten a return to
normal business conditions: He
said: Forty per cent of our people.
represented by those who get their
living from the farm. are on price
level for their products. the result of
their labor, which is on the whole
substantially below the pre-war price
~ he mi
cent are still on a price level con-
siderably above the pre-war level
That Is another way Of saying that
the purchasing power Of the farmers,
who represent 40 per cent Of our
population, Is out of all proportion.
and the result is both an agricultural
and an industrial depression. We
cannot hope to have general national
prosperity until the normal ratio is
fairly well restored.
TT would be much better for all Of
Us il farm prices could be brought
IN to their normal ratio with the
prices of other things. including
wages, transportation. taxes, etc.
Since this cannot be done altogether,
then other prices must come down
and farm prices must come up until
they reach the normal ratio once
more. When that happens our
troubles will be over.
TT Is human to resist falling prices
for the things ono has to sell. whether
thew be labor or commodities. but it
/. not fair to the nation to rake such
resistance when it interferes with
the return Of general prosperity
Every good citizen ought to be will
ing to bear his part in these times OF
economic troubles, just as every good
citizen was willing to bear his part
during the war.
Il think wa can look forward into
iS3s with hope" the Secretary con-
tinred. 1--WE cannot expect the return
Of prosperity all at once. but there
are signs that conditions are improv-
ing. Farm prices give promise of
improvement. while prices Of other
things show signs Of yielding to the
inevitable, Surely 1929 should be q
better year in q business way than
1921. Once there reason to believe
that the worst Is past and that con-
ditions ara on the mend, we shall
probably 30 forward moro rapidly
than We have bssn expecting.
eWSApA ara far1A numbers Of peOple