Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1922-04-27
Boost Farm Produce
And See 1t Succeed
Urges EX-Aggie Head

Kansas City, Mo, April 26-Sale Of
surplus agricultural products TO for
eign countries was suggested as q
means of bringing higher prices TO
farmers by Carl Nrooman, former
Assistant Secretary of Agriculture in
an address here today before tn"
convention of the Mississippi Valley
Association.
The speaker urged his auditors TO
find foreign markets for the farm
crs surplus crops by the sliillful use
of credits"
1.-THE splendid and almost instan-
taneous rise in the price of corn and
wheat" Mr.. Nrooman asserted, re
sulting from our gift of s20,o00,000
worth of grain to Russia shows un-
mstakably how nearly the bull fac
tors have come to overcoming the
bare factors in our terminal mar
kets and hence how easy it would
have been at any time during tho
past year to raise the price of our
farm products up to the cost Of pro-
duction, by selling-not all-but n
reasonable percentage of our sur
pluses abroad on credits.
IF everybody in the corn bolt
would boost corn, as every man, wu-
man and child in the south boosts
cotton, we long since would have
found a way to dig ourselves out OF
the hole we are in. Even the boil
weevil is said to have pat his
shoulder to the wheel in tho south
last year and by reducing the surplus
to have done more than any other
single agency to help boost the price
of cotton"
AS an Illustration of the way the
South pulls together" Mr.. Nrouman
cited the operation of the Edge
Bank Law which helps TO finance the
expectation of cotton on credit. II
am told that over fifteen hundred
banks throughout the southern states
in addition to numerous business mon
and farmers took stock in this New
Orleans Export Bank, because they
realized that unless this surplus cot
ton could be gotten rid of in foreign
markets the south was headed for
the financial rocks" he said.
If we could develop the corn belt
consciousness, it would be an easy
matter to pool the grain, the driving
power and the financial resources of
this fertile region behind our staple
crop in such a way as to shove the
price of corn up at least TO the cost OF
production" he continued. For OK
ample, we should organize a power
full Edge Law Export Bank; we could
get needed waterway legislation. and
other measures required, in order to
lower freight rates on agricultural
products and we could boost laws
designed to perfect our present cost
ly and cumbersome marketing sys-
tenn. These steps could raise the
price of farm products on the farm
while at the same time lowering the
cost of food to the consumer.
But entirely practical and highly
desirable as these suggestions are
they cannot be put into effect soon
enough to enable us to meet our
present tragic economic crisis. The
fundamental weakness in the recent
National Agricultural Conference at
Washington was the fact that IL de-
voted most of its time and attention
to working out an agricultural pol
Icy that it will take a generation or
more to carry into effect. instead of
focusing its attention upon emer-
gency measures required to save the
farmers and business men from i'm
minent financial disaster.
1.-THE only thing that I know Of
that our government can do that will
give immediate relief to the farmer
and business man in this crisis is to
find foreign markets for the farmers
surplus crops by a skillful use OF
credits"