The Ocala banner., 1922-05-26
ITEMS OF INTEREST TO THE FARMER
= AND STOCK GROWER =

imports are approximately 1000 ooo
sioss snort tons, containing 250 mn
snort tons of available potash K.2-o
According to the schedule Of tba
proposed tariff the potash content of
zoV'OVo tons will carry a duty of two
ana one-half cents a pound for +ho
nrst two years, totaling s11 .40C, oOo
Ior each year or s22,sOOO 900 for the
TWO years. The third year it win car.
ry two cents pound duty or s1o
oVV'oOO. The fourth year the rate ;s
one and' one-half cents pound or
Sf'oOO,OOO. The fifth and last wear ;t
wiii nave a one cent pound rate or
S5,OOO'Oo0. Using round numbers on.
~ the grand total for the five years
would be s45,3O0,OOo.
This is more than has been imnort
ed since the beginning of the World
war and the only thing that win
keep it from going back to normal
VIII be continuance of the general
depression.
Here is s45,SOO,O0O wall of pro-
lection thrown around an infant
industry for the first five wears of
the hot house process. The worst fea.
ture OF which is that this s45.300. GOO
tribute is to be exacted from a com
paratlvely few people who have No
way of distributing the burden to tho
"hoie population. The advocates of
the bill take great pains to figure out
now much per acre of per capita tt!s
amounts to and dwell upon the small.
ness per acre unit or inhabitant. If il
Is really good policy to feed this in.
rant at public expense it ought to he
done by all the people and not by a
select few. No one pays it but the
FARMER. So that in effect this tax Is
IN reality vocational tax. The great
oulk of it is paid by the Southern
States, so that it is in effect a sec.
sonal tax, approximately forty per
cent OF 1t is paid by those who do not
own the land they till, so that in ef-
rect, 1t is to large extent a bonus
to be extracted from the poorest
class of tenant farmers. Eighteen
million dollars is rather high tribute
to be levied on the tenant farmers TO
build up an industry in five years.
that is supposed to be a benefit 10
120,00O,O0O people.
If this infant must be fed from a
silver spoon for five years there is
only one way to do it honestly and
that is by subsidy But" says some
one, "the tariff viii get money into
the treasury and the subsidy will
take it out for the benefit of the rot.
ash manufacturers.
In answer to this it is only neces-
sary to point to the fact that if the
law accomplishes its purpose, very
little Of the tribute exacted from the
farmer in the way OF higher price
potash will go to the Federal Treas
ury as the production in this country
viii rapidly develop to where it can
supply the demand In this case all
the tribute paid by the farmer goes
directly to the manufacturers of pot
ash and not to the government.
''If this erroneous tax of S45, 800, ,00O
is paid by subsidy, by all of the peo-
pie, then the nation as a whole will
be interested and will stop paying the
subsidy at the end of five years. But,
if it is heaped on the farmers alone il
is doubtful, indeed, if they can get
rid of this tax in five years.
IF past experience is any criterion
whether this tax is paid by subsidy
or paid by farmers, we may expect
that this pampered infant will be in
position to show congress at the end
of five years that to fail to extend
will be equivalent to stabbing to the
heart the splendid child of its past
good treatment.
nC plCluAC " aC 4ASAO 0P W '4CN
will be CHASTITY. An industry nurtured
TO life and vigor only TO be deliberate.
ly murdered in cold blood. Those be.
hind the business will be no kinder of
heart than are the gang that is now
fighting the proposal to lease Muscle
Shoals plant for the purpose of max
ing atmospheric nitrogen, which is a
companion element of phosphoric acid
and potash in commercial fertilizer.
There has,not been such depression
and dependency among the farmers
of this country in fifty years and to
add this burden to them just at this
time will be adding insult 70 injury
by penalizing them for trying to
make it possible for the world to live
Many Rural Schools Fall in With
Hot Lunch Idea
Through the efforts of extension
- rTrs<al Cfrfoc nano rf