Evening star., 1923-08-21
The Wheat Problem.


American wheat farmers by the
thousand face ruin with the low prices
of wheat now confronting them, ac-
cording to Secretary Wallace of the
some remedy can be found for the
situation.
The agricultural problem is giving
the administration much concern. The
wheat crop of the country is large this
year and must be marketed within Il
short time. Proposals of government
aid have come from Senator Brook
hart of Iowa and other legislators
from the middle west and northwest.
The government, they say, should act
q minimum price. But the administra-
tion is not disposed to have the gov
ernment undertake such business.
The distress of the farmers in the
northwest has been responsible for
the political revolt in Minnesota and
the election of two senator's on the
farmer-labor ticket. This political re-
volt it has been predicted, will spread
to other agricultural states unless
something is done To relieve the situa-
tion. The crisis is coming within a
few weeks, a crisis which will be felt
by a large part of the population just
as acutely as d coal strike would be
felt if it resulted in 4 shutdown of
the mines after September l: in fact,
more acutely.
Secretary Wallace has put his finger
on the sore spot. the distorted relation
ship between the prices which the
farmer has to pay for what he uses
and, the prices which he receives for
those things which he produces. If
the farmer could purchase his clothes,
his implements, etc, at prices having
some relationship to the prices which
he receives for his wheat, his corn
and his other produce he would be
able TO make ends meet.
But wages in industry are high,
taxes are high, freight rates are high,
building. materials are high, and the
prices of all the commodities which
the farmer uses are in consequence
high.
Underlying the situation is the con-
flict which exists between the agricul-
tural interests and the industrial in
tcrests, and which seemingly always
will exist. 1t is to the interest of the
farmer to buy what he needs cheaply
and to sell what he produces as high
as possible. 1t is to the interest of
the men engaged in industry to sell
what they produce as high as possible
and to purchase what they need as
cheaply as they can, among the latter
the products of the farm. This CON
fiict of interest makes it doubtful
that the farmer and the Industrial
worker can ever make u successful
political combination. Their interests
at bottom are opposed. Today the bal
ance is with the industrial worker. His
wages are high, his standard Of living
is high. work is plentiful. To take
away these might improve the farm
ers' condition. but it would be disas-
trous to the city dWellers.
But despite this conflict of interest
there should be some more even
ground, some better relationship, as
Secretary Wallace says. between the
prices of farm products and those of
manufactured products. The farmers
could assist by limiting their planting
of wheat and other commodities. by
diversifying their crops. In that event
the. law of supply and demand would
undoubtedly prove effective. A reduc-
tion in transportation charges, and
more economical methods of distribu-
tion would be other factors. - These
are matters that will require time,
however, and the farmers who have
wheat to sell are facing an immediate
problem.