The north Mississippi herald. (Water Valley, Yalobusha Co., Miss.) 1888-1929, 1922-03-17
THIS FARMER LOSES MONEY
SELLING HAY BY CARLOAD
Man, Freight and Taxes Eat Up More Than Fifty
Per Cent of the Price Obtained the Kansas City Market

Senator Arthur Capper, chosen as
he leader OF the Farm Bloc to sue
eed Senator William S. Kenyon Of
owa, who resigned from the Senate
accept appointment on the Fed
eral bench, promises to put even more
pep into the bloc by bringing sharply
TO public attention concrete cases
showing the exploitation Of farmers
and the necessity for nonpartisan
support for agriculture.
Almost before he has settled him
elf for action the Senator points out
he case Of farmer named Kantz
Who sent carload of alfalfa hay to
Kansas City, Mo-, for sac. Quoting
rom the report of the commission
merchant these facts come to light.
"The hay sold for s196.20. War
tax, freight, plucking, watching and
commission footed up to $685."
The balance left for Kantz was
S96.81, or SO ton, the exact price
it cost the farmer to bale the hay. The
hauling cost the farmer $150 a ton.
The cost of cutting, stacking and ir-
'igating the crop also had to be paid.
The farmer did all the work. When
ne got down to figures, not counting
MS own time or the value Of his land
Hantz found he had sold 21,800
pounds of hay in the Kansas City
market through the regu' ar channels
and had lost $3.50 a ton in the trans
The railroad made money hauling
the hay, the commission man made
money handling the hay, an army of
small employees made money in con.
nection with the transaction, the
government made money taxing the
transaction, and the man who did all
the work lost $3.50 a ton.
Other startling facts are fast be-
ing absorbed by the public. For in.
stance, cowhide sells for about 8
cents pound. After it has passed
through the business machinery of the
packers it is found that the shoemaker
pays 81 a pound wholesale for the
leather. By the time the farmer
needs a pair of shoes he learns that
his income from an entire cowhide
does not come anywhere near being
enough to psy for them.
Concrete facts of this kind are
winning stronger support for the
farm bloc.
+" The agricultural bloc is non
partisan" says Senator William j.
Harris, Of Georgia. "It has in view
as its purposes only those things in
legislation which are for the best in
tersts of the whole country. It has
been mainly concerned in legislation
to help the agricultural conditions,
and where successful it has helped
all lines of industry. The farmers
and livestock growers of this coun-
try do not hoard their earnings, but
their success means prosperity for al
lines of business.
ITO show that the so-called bloc
is non-partisan it is only necessary
to cite the legislation which has been
passed during the present Congress,
with the main support of the DEM
ocrats and few Republicans who
wanted to help in the agricultural
troubles. Two important bills which
have become laws were the Norris
agricultural credit relief bill and the
Kenyon-KAndrick meat packer legI
slation. If the Democrats had cared
for party advantages rather than the
welfare of the country those two
measures would not have passed. The
Republicans administration will go
before the country on those two meas
ares as the greatest thing in a con
structive way during their me.
ut has been truly said that the farm
bloc has created great deal of inter-
est and much animosity mainly be-
cause it works in the open. Other
olocs which have been successful and
notorious, wanted anything but light
on their acts and purposes.
"The safety of the Republic is not
threatened by the agricultural bloc,
despite the propaganda inspired by
those interests who fear their hold
vii be lessened through the activi-
hes of those senators who think that
the welfare of the country means
to the masses of the peo-
ole."