Palatka daily news. [volume] (Palatka, Fla.) 1919-1994, 1922-01-23
President Tells Agricul-
turists He Wants to
Help Them
BARGAIN COLLECTIVELY
Government Will Give
It's Aid to Perfect
ing Organization
(By Associated Press.I

tBY AHHOCiaIeo FreuR.b
Washington, Jan. 23.-Develop-
ment of thorough code of law and
business procedure, with the proper
machinery of finance, to assure the
former as generous a supply of
working capital on as reasonable
terms as is granted to other indus
tries was advocated here today by
President Harding in opening the ma
tional agricultural conference.
"An industry" the President said,
"more vital than any other, in which
near half the nations wealth is in
vested, can be relied upon for good
security and certain returns"
Declaring. that in the matter of
what may be called fixed investment
capital the disadvantage so impress
ed public opinion that the federal
farm loan board was established to
meet the need, the President said the
farmer still needed some provision
for supplying him with working cap
ital.
compared with other industries,
he continued, "the wonder is that ag
riculture, thus deprived of easy ac-
cess to both investment and accom-
mediation capital has prospered even
so WELL"
Suggests Plans of Support.
Lines on which financial support
of agriculture may be organized,
Mr.. Harding said, are suggested in
the plan of the federal farm loan
board and in those rural finance So
cieties which have been so effective
in some European countries.
"The cooperative loaning asSocia-
tions of Europe have been effective
incentives to united action by farm
ers," he continued, "and have led
them directly into cooperation in
both production and marketing,
which have contributed greatly to
the stabilization and prosperity of
agriculture.
The President told the conference
that Concerning the grim reality
of the present crisis in agriculture
there can be no difference of opinion
among informed people"
"The depressions and discourage
ments," he continued, "are not pecu
liar to agriculture, and l think it
fair to say there could have been no
avoidance of a great slump from war
time excesses to the hardships of
readjustment. We can have no help
full understanding by assuming that
agriculture suffers alone, but we
may fairly recognize the fundamen-
tai difficulties which acccntuate the
agricultural discouragements, and
menace the healthful life of this ba-
sic and absolutely necessary indus
try"
| Farmer an Individualist
The farmer, the President declar-
ed, from the very mode of his life is
individualistic and therefore because
he buys and sells as an individual it
is his fate to buy in the dearest and
sell in the cheap est market" He
contrasted with this the corporation
which, he said, could effect econom-
les and acquire for itself a power in
the markets by combinations.
The President said there was a
misconception regarding the fnan-
cal status of agriculture.
at cannot be too strongly urged
that the farmer must be ready to
help himself" he added "This con-
ference would do most lasting good
if it would find ways to impress the
great mass of farmers to avail them
selves of the best methods. By this
mean that in the last analysis,
Legislation can do little more than
give the farmer the chance to organ
ize and help himself"
Must Cooperate
The President then referred to
cooperative marketing.
with financial support for agri-
sulturel and with instrumentaities
for the collection and dissemination
of useful information" he said "a
group of cooperative marketing sr-