The Nezperce herald. (Nezperce, Idaho) 1900-1957, 1923-02-22
NOT oroTEING" FAIR.


ao+ment why is there such tremeno-
ous rumpus raised when it is proposed
70 give the farmer the same consider
ations
Nowadays most every sehqol Doy
knows that our national tariff laws
prevent foreign manufacturers from
selling their wares in this country IN
competition with our home manufae'
tuners. and thereby our home manu-
faeturers are enabled to charge us
much higher price for their output. 20
lone has this condition obtained that
we are inclined to just take it as
matter Of course and not question y
when summing up our economic sltD'-
ton.
It has been proven that the gram
farmer in this country cannot beneti'
bv like tariff on his product because
he has surplus which must find =
foreign market, and this surplus regu
lates the price of his entire yield. AS
tbe great banker, J. X. McCornaek,
president of the Union Securities Co.,
said in speech before the meeting OF
representatives of his branch banks
in Spokane last Saturday:
1Liverpool today sets our wheat
price. although Liverpool buys only
25 per cent of our s0e,000,0O O-bushel
crop. Until we have no export bal
ances, wheat prices can not be ex-
pected to approach the cost OF pro
duction Buyers of rs per cent set
the price on the other rs per cent by
shrewd business practices.
An as the Portland Oregonian car
ries the idea on in the following edl-
torial statement:
ssThe course of the wheat market,
considered in conjunction with the
effect of the tariff, provides educa-
ton for farmers as well as many 9th
ers who are sincerely interested In
their prosperity. The Oregonian has
said that the duty on wheat could
not do the farmer any good; events
have proved that it actually injuries
him. The price of good milling wheat
at the end of 1929 was not substantial
ly higher than at the end of 1920, aft
ter deflation had done its work, and
certain facts indicate that, but for
the tariff, it would have been much
higher.
GAS frequently pointed out, the
price of the entire American crop is
regulated by the price paid in foreign
markets for that part which is ex-
ported. In those markets American
wheat is sold in competition with that
of Australia, Canada, Argentina and
India, and is also regulated by the
ratio of Europe's own crops to that
continent s demand. Our exports nor.
mally total about 200,O00,000 bushels
year, but if we attempt to get more
than the world price, wheat from 9th
or countries will take its place and ,
large part of this quantity will be left
on our hands. If we try to maintain
the price by reducing production, 9th
er countries may increase their acre
age and may harvest bumper eroI
with the result that no higher price
will be obtained and that our farmer
win simply have handed over part o.
their business to their competitors. 81
long as we maintain a tariff wall t.
shut out Canadian wheat we simply
increase the amount that Canada OK
ports to Europe. There it depresse
the price, not only for our exports blu
for our domestic sales.
Writing for the New York Out
look. H. A. Bellows shows that tn
tariff actually Injuries the America,
farmer. 1t has caused prices in tn
United States to remain little high
err than in Canada; not enough to d
the farmers any real good in the fac
of declining world price, but jus
enough to make foreign trade Il
wheat and its principal product, flour
exceedingly difficult He says tina
American flour exports have decreas
ed from 26,449,5Sl barrels in 1919 t
1904 ,62S barrels in 1922, while thos
pf Canada increased from 4,729,00
barrels in 1920 to 9,4s5,0OO barrels i
1922 American wheat exports in 1872
were only 60 per cent of those in 1872
but those OF Canada have increased 2
per cent since the emergency tariff
became effective. The decrease i
flour exports deprived our farmers 0
foreign market for 100000
bushels of wheat. 1t also de
prived them of $4,000 tons of bra
and shorts as stock feed, which is on
reason why they are paying as muc
for bran as they paid in June, 191!
when they received more than doubl
the present price for wheat
So, then, since it has proven imprat
teal, this attempt to help the graf
farmer by protective tariff-an
surely the government in sincere
its attempt to help him out-why nc
adopt the more direct method of fl,
ing guarantee on his produce and s,
cure for him immediate resultss TIL
sugar refiners gained practically sue