Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1923-03-22
Closer Cooperation to
Better Farm Conditions
EDWARD WORKMAN COM. OF MAR
KETS CALLS ATTENTION TO
THE GRiMSTAD BILL

In a statement issued today, Edward
Nordman, Commissioner of Markets,
desires to call the attention of the
public to the Grimstad Bill now pend
ing in the legislature. Mr. Nordman
is of the opinion that the application
of the principles involved in this bill
will pave the way for better conditions
in agriculture than have ever before
existed in this country.
The fundamental reason for our ina
bility to solve the marketing problems
thus far, states Mr.. Nordman, is that
the various groups of producers do
not possess the necessary purchasing
power to buy each others products
In modern society every producer
works for the market Everyone
should therefore, be as much interest
ed in the other fellows prosperity as
he is in his own since he depends upon
that other fellow to purchase his pro
ducts. If producers lack the means to
buy all that is produced, all producers
suffer because in that case goods accu
mulate On the market and this necess
sarily results in general depression
in industry and business.
In this connection Mr.. Nordman
points to the fact that the idea pre-
vailing among farmers that wages in
industry are high and, therefore, det-
rimental to farming is erroneous In
the first place it must be remembered
that it is only the organized working
men who have a measure of control
over their wages earning population.
The great mass of unorganized work
ingmen are struggling along on wages
that compel them to get along without
the most necessary things It is OBJ
vious that such state of affairs is in
furious to farmers and that the earn
ings of the latter cannot be high un-
less their customers, the city wage
earners. earn enough to make a good
demand for farm products.
It is Mr. Nordman's opinion that
the present low incomes of our farm
ers are largely traceable to low wages
paid to Industrial workingmen and
that farmers cannot expect better CON
ditions until the earnings of labor are
large enough to absorb what the farm
er produces. This condition, however,
is dependent upon a fair and just re-
enumeration of all the groups that are
taking part in production, namely
farmers, business men, manufacturers
professional and workingmen, in short
of anyone who by manual or mental
labor and services contributes to the
welfare Of society. Fair compensation
for services rendered by these pro
ducing groups is an essential pre-re
quisite of equality between purchasing
power and producing capacity.
The most serious impeachment to this
state of things is the present lack of
opportunities on the part of producers
to apply their efforts in the most re-
munerative fields and this is direct
result of the monopolization of agri-
cultural land and other natural re-
sources. 1t is this impediment that
the Grimstad bill seeks to remove by
dealing with a phase of the marketing
problem that has been, so far, com
plete1y overlooked in all the official
and unofficial Investigations relating
to this problem. It leads to the remedy
for a condition that makes land mac
cessible to men of small means and
thus avoids the crowding of working
men in industries where they under
bid each other in competition for jobs
whose supply is below the demand
Thus workingmen will not be obliged
to accept any wages which cutthroat
competition imposes upon them. This
will create a situation under which a
laborer will have a choice of occupa-
tions thus selecting the one which Of
fers him the best remuneration. Ac-
feasibility to the land will open oppor-
tunities to the man of small means to
engage in farming and this will stand
as a haven of refuge to all who are
forced to submit to any wages and
living conditions that are now being
offered them in industry. This, how
ever, must not be construed as a dan
ger to agriculture as is sometimes
feared. An exodus of even a small
part of the labor supply towards the
land, by easing up the situation on
the labor market, will give the work
ingman remaining in industries an in
creased bargaining power by the exer-
else of which they will receive what
they should, namely compensation
equivalent to the worth of their ser
vices and this in turn will create a
purchasing power on the part of labor
that will absorb the farmers products.