Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1923-01-08

Otherwise. Why should Iresidout
HARDING give ~ rart OF his ThsnkA-
giving Holiday, 90 bs ia. and meet
with a number ~ members ~ the
Ectato ia order g. formulate n iegis-
lstiye program Of agricultural reiief7
OK Why should 90 members Of the
Senate pledge themselves 10 suppiant
tho ship subsidy bill with n rural
credits bin. n one IS presented from
the committee before tho subsidy bin
ls disposed or
These are two 81 the signs, but
there are others. The last census
shows that farmers Of tho United
states tDr tho first time in history now
constitute n minority yet We now
have in Congress On agrariaD bloc. I
which ls tho most determined con- .
federation IN that body and which, I
regardless OF the political affiliations !
az l's members. rs resolved 20 press
FOR remedial rural legislation regard
less = any other national policies.
Tho grain crops Of the United
States last year sold a. n loss. 20 far
~ he farmers were concerned. n
| IL common now 20 read ~ crops IN
/ tho marketing 81 which the trans
/ porta ton charges entirely ato mp wha.
the farmer received for his produce
~ it was back in tho hungry nlueties.
We hear OF western corn being burned
fCr fuel because IL ~ cheaper thar
coal. Fruit crops rot on the ground
because tho market prices win not
paw for even tho cost ~ picking and
shipping.
And IN spite o, all THE. the cost ~
living for no city dwelier is con-
siderably higher than - vas before
1914.
Tho fact l- that farming "a in
bad way. and If conditions continue
NJ they are. 10 will become a deoiin-
ing industry. Tho economic laws
that onco tool, caro- Of tho farmer no
hall Once when retail prices were
high no shared in the retailers pros
porlty Today prices arc high. but
the farmer ge,s less than he did when
they were low.
To md tho cause 81 tho farm crisis
, Congress last yoar created a COM
mission OF inquiry. This commits
7 Sion wi'h the aid Il ecorn'sts ard
other. experts went deeply into tho
, subiect. sending ONE thousands OF
- quos'ionnaires ard examining hun
] drrds ~ Witnesses. r. has recently
issued .t7 report. % monumental vorl,
2 iu four volumes. packed wiih ahgtruse
3D. tablo= Of figures and havildering dia-
. grams. but c1rs'itu'ing perhaps ne
most borough survey ever made ~
{ tho production, trsnsports'ior and
distrlbutlon - food
- Farmer Dollar =. Cheap.
The plight ~ Tho farmer "a shown
!. IN four striking studies made In The
report. Tho first 81 these shows that
- Tho farmers dollar has grown very
cheap since 1919. Ills pro<parity
r largely depends upon tho quantities
n o. products for witch no can exchanges
4 a given amount - his own product.
. Tho purchasing power ~ tho farmers
j. dollar dropped in 1920 20 50 conts. and
a was even lower IN 1921. During The
- war 10 had been considerably sbov,
"a par A. present ia purchasing power
II Is lower than ~ any time since ,hs
n ycag 1900.
Is Secondly. Tho report demonstrate,
j. that when The general break in price,
J. came N 1890. farm prices we're N,
u FIRST 20 20 down. and they fell farthe'
r than any other prices. Among min,
j. great groups ~ commodities which
p had increased .u price since 1913
70 farm products a. the beginning o
v 1890 were Ted with two other group
p ln fourth place, being quoted az abou
b ono and one-half times the 1919 leve
" Clothing. three and one-nalf times a
p expensive az % was IN 1913, toppe
u the LIST.
ic when the break came farm pod
I" ucts exceeded ali the others in The.
L rapid slide down hi.l. untl IT. the earl
: months Of 1921 they were lowest an
y were htile above tho 1913 level. Al
= most al The other groups we're the
'a az least 80 per cent higher than thel
- 1913 levels. This slide l. was wh!c
Va chaapened the farmers dollar. sine
ha shares with every other consume
- the necessity OK having 20 buy froi
- these groups.
y, Ia the third place. lt s. shown u ia
\. report that the farmers, unlike pic
ducers in other industries. have bee
unable % take advantage Of the hig
- war prices BY increasing product!o
= 20 any great extent S.nca fse
farming has been able % Increase &,
~ output only az about The same "a,
-, as the population increases. Sine
-. That year population has increased 4
- per cent and agricultural product
-. something less than IS per cent. o
!. tho ether hand. the steel Industry Ia
Increased its output IN that time II
per cent, miners 12s per cent; textil
" manufacturers 90 per cent, while 20
hide makers have Increased thei
SIC business 20 - times what % was
m 1899.
Finally. the report shows that n
financial reward Of farming has faIle
- perilouely low. Allowing him intera.
~ on his farm Investment. for n
49,. management. his rick. and h.s ON
labor In 1920 he received the magnif
cent sum % sass on the averag
-, which was less than one third what b
/, received in 1919. And what few do
~. lars he got were worth oa,y 50 cen
In their power 20 purchase the thinl
INF he had 20 have. The disaster swei
,ea away completely whatever profit ,
made during the war.
An Because OF this condition, the frlen,
n of tho farmer are proposing an e,
nd tensive program Of legislation 20 mai
his occupation once more attractiv
he The immediate thing 20 be done z,
rec him, the administration believes.
he tho broadening Of the powers OF q
nv Federal Farm Loan banks. Sever