The Washington herald., 1922-01-24
Industrial Life Affected
Until Remedy Can
Be Applied.
SPEAKERS URGE
COOPERATIVE PLAN
Standardization Held as
Means to Aid in
Marketing.

With dirt" farmers bluntly item
King their financial distress, and
President Harding proposing far
reaching measures OF government;
assistance, the 800 delegates to the
agricultural conference, called by
Secretary of Agriculture Wallace.
yesterday, began consideration of
comprehensive plans to organize
agriculture on the same basis of
economic advantage as industry and
commerce.
There should be developed" said
the President. "a thorough code of
law and business procedure, with
the proper machinery of finance
through some agency, to insure
that turnover capital shall be as
generously supplied to the farmer
and on as reasonable terms as to
other Industries. An industry, more
vital than any other, in which near
ly half the nations wealth is is
vested can be relied upon for good
security and certain returns"
Suggests Loan Facilities.
The President suggested an am
pliication of the machinery of the
Farm Loan Board and the adoption
of the plan of European rural
finance societies. Mr.. Harding
would legalize cooperative market
Ing and means to make "the farm
ers selling price higher and the
consumers buying price lower"
To aid the farmer transportation
facilities must be increased. Mr.
Harding said, and to accomplish
this end he suggested the electrifi-
ration Of railroads, to reduce such
waste as the hauling of coal for
transportation purposes, and the
development OF waterways.
Secretary Wallace, in his ad-
fress. explained the situation brief
The agriculture Of the nation Is
d . bad stats." he said. '-and our en-
tirs business and industrial life II
suffering ini conseuence.q High pro-
ductior costs followed by ruinously
low prices have greatly reduced the
farmers net income, and his purchas-
ing power has been still further re-
duced by the disproportionately high
cost of everything he needs to buy.
Remedy I'm Organization.
Representative Sydney Anderson, of
Minnesota, chairman Of the confer
ence, made a plea for the organization
by the farmers of control of output,
asserting that price declines have been
least in commodities controlled by
highly organized industries Of which
the dairy industry is an example.
when / consider" said Mr.. Ander.
son, "the desperate character Of the
situation, could wish that there was
some means of bringing about this
conditional by governmental action, but
i am sure there is no governmental
panacea, that there Is no magic word
of LEGISLATION and no magic wand of
administrative actioon that can
bring about these results / am per-
suaded that they can only be ac-
complished through a more eff
cient organization of the producers.
TT is possible by organization for
I farmers to standardize the quality
. of the product of many farmers
within a given locality and by such
Standardization to increase the
price per unit for the entire crop.
Urges Co-operative Marketing.
The farmer must delegate the
power of selling his crop and of
putting IL in shape for market and
of performing all of the services
necessary to its delivery In quality
quantity, time and place 10 some or
Rehabilitation of American agri-
culture depends largely upon econ
omy and efficiency in production
coupled with cooperation in the or
Derby marketing of raw materials.
according to Thomas Z. Wilsooh, of
chicago, president of the Institute
of American Meat Packers. Mr..
Wilson urged the taking of steps to
increase the per capita consumption
Of meat. which has declined more
than twenty-seven pounds during
the last twenty years, as a means
of increasing the demand for live
stock, upon which depends the pros
perity of millions of farmers.
Farmers Facing Ruin.
A Sykes, president of the Corn
Belt Meat Producers Association,
4 rave a moving recital of the plight
Of the farmers, asserting that in
raising war production to the maxi
mum. "our wives, mothers and
daughters have worked in the fields
as never before"
Thousands of farmers who bought
farms at the peak prices of 1919
md 1920 ARE facing financial
ruin" he said.
Men who are working ten to
afteen hours a day and facing a
situation of this sort day after day
want results he went on. From
greatly reduced income they are
compelled to pay greatly Increased
prices for supplies and trarsporta-
tion. They become impatient under
The necessity of paying railroad
-ates so per cent above prewa
.ates. coal prices 100 per cent above
orewar prices, and other prices 50
q $50 per cent above prewar prices.
rhey read in government reports
hat persons engaged in other
great industries continue to enjoy
Ibnormally high compensation for
heir services.
1T Is the duty and the privilege
VI our government to investigate
he. causes of the suffering among
he farmers of the corn belt aandd
throughout the whole country and
% take measures which will cut
hort the suffering as far as pos
lS!e."
Reviewing the agricultural situs-
Jon in the eltton belt. James w.
Continued on Page Three.