The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1922-02-23

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them.
World Market for Surplus
Like every other nation, ours in
its beginning was agricultural. The
first thought of the colonistssiWas
of food and clothing. After. their
own needs were supplied their sur
pluses were shipped abroad to be
sold on world markets at world
prices. AS our frontiers advanced
from the Alleghanies to the Missis-
sippi; and on to the Pacific, we con-
tinu'e the same course pursued by
our forefathers an agricultural
vanguard producing national sur
pluses .bartered on world markets
for other goods. And never was
that market and world barter so i'm
portant as today. gs5e ~s,
Cities Builded From Margins
"Our increasing grOWth in Fpopu-
lation naturally lead to the develop
| ment Of villages, then towns and fin
ally great cities with radiating trans
portation lines, factory districts and
/ distributing agencies, all necessary
for the handling and processing and
| carrying to the consumers at home
and abroad the original products OF
! the soil. All these intermediary
agencies have been builded and paid
for by margins between what the
| producer received for his product
and what the ultimate consumer
paid. A century ago, when the, cou.n-
| try was newer and living was simpler
and wants fewer, these margins were
| relatively small With the coming
| of the pillow and reaper and the de-
velopment of the railroad the farm
ers SURPRISES increased and we be-
gan national development so great
that we cannot yet comprehend it.
1t will be the Alladin story for the
historian of coming centuries.
"Our urban. population increased
from 14,777,43S in 1880 to SABA
476 in 1920, an increase of 267 per
cent, while rural population in
creased in the same period from
36,3S3,345 to 51,396,144, or A per
cent. Our cities grew six times
faster than farm population, but
farm production ran ahead of popu-
lation because of wealth of new
lands, improved machinery and adj
vanced agricultural science. We
have always had an exportable sur
plus from the farms, and | trust
economic adjustments may be ar
ranged so that we always will have
that surplus. This surplus sold
abroad has taken care of interest on
foreign stocks and bonds and bal
ances of trade. Almost literally it
has been contracted for even before
the planting of the crops.
Farmers Produce
'The joint agricultural inquiry
commission appointed by congress
concludes that the farmer is receiv-
ing 81 cents on the consumers dol
lar, GO cents going for distributive
costs and profits. The farmers bust
ness is to produce. He does not
want to process or distribute. He
expects other people to do those
things for him. But they do be-
come our problems when their ex-
cessiveness jnterferes with our pro-
duction.
Much is said recently of the CO.
operative movement amongst farm
ers. 1t is protest expressed in &C
ton against high distributive costs.
1t is growing and will continue to
grow in usefulness, not only to the
producer but to the consumer as
we'll. The movement is confined
principally to the selling of the prod
ucts of the farmer. If the farmer
ever goes actively into the field of
cooperative merchandising 1t will
be because you have not done your
part in the solution of the problems
of reasonable distribution costs. /
Urges Self Help +
II deplore a desire on the part
of some of our farm people to bring
about needed adjustments solely
thru governmental actions or
agencies. I fear we are looking too
much toward government and too
little toward ourselves. The func-
ton of government is to so order
things in fairness and equality that
each and every class Of citizenry can
have the fullest opportunity to de-
velop the best that is in them. The
government cannot change funda-
mental laws of economics. 1t can
help, and should not hinder, the
Of those laws.
1.-THE need for balanced production
was never greater. mean by bal
anced production, industry and
and agriculture all
working simultaneously. When one
class stops and others 60 on we get
The laborer should not
lose sight of the fact that he has
The largest stake Of us all in an
abundant production. You as dis
of that which has been pro-
1uced and processed by farmer and
aborer should join with both, not in
seeking the profit of the immediate
transaction, but in seeking to find
Ind promote the ultimate greatest
advancement for all.
= Must Market Surplus
There are many advocates of q
United agricultural production, led
o such advocacy because Of the de-
PRESSING effect Of the surplus which
,annot be controlled as Industrial
urplusses can. II we produce q SUR
'lus of agricultural commodities, as
We always have in the past, we must :
H.