Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1922-03-08
TALK Will NOT
LOWER THE PRICES
President Pearson, of Ames, Says
Question is Not One of Mere
Talk, But Through Bust
ness Like Consider
alton of Taxation
Problems.
PROBLEM Is ONE FOR
COMMUNITIES TO SOLVE
Calls Attention to Fact That 80 Per
Cent of Taxes Are Raised and
Expended in Counties
Where Levied.

Ames, Iowa-Taxes should be
reduced in Iowa, not thru oratory,
but thru the sensible, business-like
consideration of taxation problems
is the way President r. A. Pearson,
of Iowa State College, puts the mat
ter in his addresses to farmers in
many sections Of the state.
1t is altogether natural that Iowa
farmers should be greatly interested
in reducing taxation and other fixed
charges against them, President
Pearson points out.
costs of materials and services
which the farmer must buy" he
says, "are abnomally high, and
prices received for farm products are
abnormally low. When the farmer
from his reduced income has paid
his taxes and other fixed charges he
has very little left for his usual
supplies and other expenses"
Taxes should be reduced as much
as possible, President Pearson agrees
with those who urge reduction, but
he adds that it should be remember
ed that about 90 per cent of the
taxes are expended within the coun-
ty where raised and under local
authority.
Question is Local
Takes should not be reduced as
the result of an oration on the SUBJ
ject" is the way President Pearson
puts it, "but after the whole question
has been carefully considered by rep
resentative and responsible people in
a community who well know how
taxes are collected and what use is
made of the money. Such a group is
best qualified to decide what can be
given up and what else can be post
poned. They will not overlook the
fact that in this age we are going
forward rapidly, and some taxes are
forced upon US and some others re-
suit in savings and economies far in
excess of the tax cost. But in many
places tax reduction would be justi-
fed and should be made.
In this connection sight must not be
lost of the Importance of research
and education in the field of agricul-
ture," says President Pearson "These
activities are cornerstones on which
the success of agriculture rests. 1t
is necessary for the best methods to
be developed in agriculture in the
United States if this country is to
compete with other countries in the
great foreign markets of the world.
And such competition has to be con-
sidered for the protection of about
two billion dollars worth of agri-
cultural products being exported.
Strenuous efforts are being made in
other countries to improve methods
of food production in order to re-
duce costs and already some coun-
tries have tried to invade American
markets with agriculture products.
Agriculture in America will not yield
to such competition, for it is within
our ability to discover as many use
full facts and apply our knowledge as
intelligently as can be done in any
other nation"
Large Production Lowers Prices
| Large production is responsible
to a considerable extent for low
to President Pearson. "The area
planted in cereals in 1921" he says,
"was about 10 per cent in excess OF
the avearage before the war. Much
of the surplus wheat has been ex-
ported to the great benefit of suffer-
ing people in Europe. The corn
crops for each of the last two years
showed about 10 per cent increase
above normal. If farmers would
store this surplus which they do not
want to feed the situation would
improve rapidly. A way should be
found to help many of those who
are unable to hold their corn. If the
corn offered on the market could be
reduced to normal quantity by the
storage of the surplus we could ex-
pect a quick response in market
value. With normal market values on
corn as compared with other articles
the farmers would quickly begin to
buy what they have been going with
out these many months. This in
turn would stimulate business and
soon the whole country would feel
the impulse of prosperity.
"An inducement for storing corn
comes in the fact that we must eX-
pect poorer crop growing weather
this year or in the near future. we
can not hope for a continuation OF
unusually good crop growing weather
indefinitely. One year of unfavorable
weather would prove the value Oh
having a quantity of corn in stor-
age"