The Alaska daily empire., 1922-12-13
AMERICAN FARMER SEEMS TO BE
4COAT" AMONG OTHER GROUPS OF
WORKERS; LEGISLATION IS URGED
Secretary Of Agriculture Wallace Places Issue Of Farmers
Before President Harding and Congress-Recommen-
Advocates Readustment Of Term Loans
MAY Run - Protection of Forests.

inadequate return which the farmer
is receiving, and has for three years,
inevitably must result in readjust-
merits in the number OF people on
the farms and in the cities, which
will not be for the continuing good
of the nation"
Leaving Farms for City
There has been d greatly acceler
'ated movement Of farmers, and espe
ciallv farmers sons from the farms
to the cities and Industrial centers.
the Secretary reported, declaring that
best estimates Indicate that during
July. August and September twice as
many persons lc'it 'ho farms for tn
c.t;c5. as normally.
The Secretary renewed his recon
mendation for rural cred4-' leg 'Si1
tion, asserting that action should be
taken promptly to increase the maxi
mum which a Farm Loan Bank may
loan to an individual from $4,000
to $4,000 He advocated alb d
referendum OF the term loans may
run, saying a system should be es-
Established by which the farmer could
borrow for periods of from six
months TO three years. Creation OF
a new bureau of nome economics
was urged by the Secretary, to en-
able the department to extend its
efforts toward better economic sys
-. ~
Forest Protection
Another problem requiring immed
tate attention. the Secretary said
was che necessity of working oui
and applying a comprehensive plan
ct protecting, regrowing and utilizing
Federal cooperation to the states in
The protection of forests, coordinat
ing State and Federal service in the
growing and distribution of forest
planting material. extending purchase
OF tnlberland "as rapidly az the con
dGtion of the Treasury will permit.
and covering into national forest;
some areas now comprised in In
dian reservations.
he DtIi ltDOlIGu SOOh ~
ress in organization of the Packer,
and Stockyards Administration and
the Grain Futures Administration, ir
the campaign against plant pests. ane
in the various other lines Of service
in which his department is inter
ested
Prosperous Year
This year would be prosperous
year for agriculture, and consequent
ly a prosperous year for the nation
such as existed before the war, Sec
rotary Wallace said. There has been
some increase in prices of farm prod
lic's. but there has not been much
Improvement in the general rela
ttionship between the prices of the
things the farmer produces and the
things he buys.
Among the causes which contrib
ute to the abnormal relationship OF
farm prices to the prices Of other
things, Secretary Wallace mentioned
these:
Overproduction of many farm
crops.
Continued high freight rates.
Maint enance of industrial wages
at near wartime levels
Economic depression and depreciat
ed currency in European countries.
Interference with the efficieni
funotioning of necessary industries.
Unreasonaibly high costs Of dis
tribution of some farm products.
overproduction
Some contend there is no such d
thing as overproduc.ion of farm prod
ucts and cannot be SO long as there
are people in the world who suffer
for food and clothing" said Secre
itary Wallace. ION the same line Of
reasoning 1t can be argued that the
production of automobiles will be in
adequate until every man and woman
and every boy and girl of higf
school age owns one. There is over
production, as far as the producer j,
concerned, whenever the quantity
produced cannot be marketed at Z
price which will cover all costs anc
leave the producer enough to temp
him 70 continue production. Ans
whenever there is such overproduc
tion the output will he reduced eth
er by conscious effort on the part o
the producers or by the operation
OF economic laws which drive thE
less efficient producers ont OF bust
ness. The fact is that for thret
years in succession the farmers o
the United States have produce