Norwich bulletin., 1922-10-26
SEC'Y WALLACE SAYS
How the National AgricuItural Confer.
ence Helped the Farmer.


 ence Helped the Farmer.
 Speaking on the agricultural situation at McPherson, Kansas, Wednesday, Sec retary of Agriculture Wallace told of the various things which had been done by the present administration to improve conditions for the farmer. Last Janu- ary national agricultural conference was called at the request of President Harding. Concerning this conference, Secretary Wallace said:
 ''The national agricultural conference called(at the request of President Hard ing and opened by him with the most thoughtful address on agriculture ever delivered by a president of the United States, did 8 lot of good. It was the most representative gathering of farm CTS, farm organization leaders and rep resentatives of allied industries that has ever been held. There were 336 dele gates in attendance Twenty different national farm organizations were repre- sented by farmers. In addition there were about eighty individual farmers from thirty different states. There were eighteen women delegates. The delegat- es represented all shades of political, re- ligious and economic belief. There were men there of most widely different views of what ought. to be done for agricul- ture and what could be done.
 These delegates were organized into committees and spent five days in Wash ington. The various committees sub mitted reports on the last day, and these reports were acted upon by the entire conference. It is interesting to note the recommend dations made and what has been done with them The conference recommended better agricultural credit. That has been considered by congress for some months and undoubtedly a bill to meet the needs will be passed this coming season. The conference recom- mended that the War Finance Corpor- ation be continued. That has been pro- vided for. The conference recommend ed that the Federal Reserve Act be amended to provide for an agricultural representative on the board. That has been done. The conference recommend ed that the matter of crop insurance be investigated, and congress is now al work on this investigation. The confer ence recommended continued Federal ait for Highways. Congress would encourage and protect farmers cooperative mark eting associations. That, law has beer enacted.
 'HThe conference made a number oi other recommendations of lesser import ance, all of which have either been act ed upon or are being considered either 4 by congress or by government admins trative agencis.
 The good which came out of the Ma tional Agricultural Conference is not |, be measured altogether by the recon mendations it made or the action whicl has followed. The coming together o men of such widely different views ant their close contact in committees fo four days was tremendously helpful There were some men who came to thi conference firmly believing that the gov ernment ought to arbitrarily fix price on some of the principal farm crops They thought that was the only effec . tive way remedy for low prices. The . argued that government had fixed pric l es during the war and so held down pric es of some crops, especially wheat, an it was a poor rule that would not wor
 both ways. think most of these me went away with their views considerabl changed. think they came to see tha : the plan which they had been so earnest
 ly advocating would do the farmer
 more harm than good.
 'The fact of the matter is that n effort to hold up farm prices by arb \ trary government action could possibl
 be successful unless the governmer
 should step in and arbitrarily contrC
 production. Take the case of whea farmers in the northwest and south 5 west. They are suffering severely no7 because of low prices, and especial ! because wheat is their one big cas : crop. They are not getting the COS of production In many cases the