East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1922-08-21
THE FARMERS DOLLAR IS WORTH 70 CENTS

the last few days the East Oregonan has made dgen in
quiry to how much money wheat farmers of Umatia
= county will make this year. One banker says that the ma
oty of farmers will actually lose basis of present
wheat prices Another declares they will make little if any
profit while third banker takes the view that careful farmers
who have held expenses down closely will make small profits
lie gives illustrations to show that In some cases at least this
will be true
Yet many farmers have sold wheat at 81 bshe
hereabou In days that would have been considered
splendid price So would 80 cents have been considered
There is but The dollar the farmer gets not
worth enough Otherwise all would be lovely The facts
that the price Of wheat has been deated but the farmers living
costs have not been deaed proporonaey According to the
and its value falling There escape from this
cuson and also from the conclusion that the buying power of
agriculture cannot be restored until greater equilibrium is
provided Since the west primarily agricultural country
business revival will have to be slow under such conditions No
amount of optimism make good times when farmer cannot
make good profit on 81 wheat.
1t is unfortunate that the downward sweep living costs
checked If had continued all would be well and the farmer
would have into his So would labor for the worker
does not object much to reduced living costs down
There have been forces at work to Stabilize prices and they
have met with too much They have worked in differ
en In the of the Cuban have
presented unqusonabe evidence that they were commanded
bar their product from this country They would coulu
not reduce production the tariff provides the highest
the beat manufacturers but they provide only cent
Of the used this country The result that in order
to provide higher price to those who produce this cent
the American people must also pay higher price for the
per cent not produced by the beet sugar
What is true of true of nnumerable other lines 1t
frankly admitted by all irrespective of craftsmanship that the
prices the farmer The wheat governed by the export
demand The tariff may be good thing for the manufac
turing sections but hard to where the American farmer
can get any JOY out OF it.
The foreign debt question also offers interesting
lures Many advise that cancel the debt of
owed the United States by European That sounds
like peculiar request and what back of it, The East Ore
gonan has theory the demand largely from interests
that know that the debt paid must be paid in goods not
money They don't want foreign manufactured articles brought
this country because that would deate the price of Amer
goods.
But such deaon just what the country needs and
ticuarly what agricultural regions need? Would make the
farmers dollar worth and thereby provide the remedy
seek for conditions? In other words if would let
take conditions would right themselves but
letting take its except spots In many
lines process with the result that few bene
fit but the majority of people are victimized. a
Have noticed the fact that at time has there been
thing like water shortage in Pendeon this res
rvOs have been kept full all through the hot period and
abundant of the finest quality has available
Evidently the additional supply secured through the eXtenSoh
# the system at Thorn Hollow has been all that claimed
or IT, sa
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