The Nezperce herald. (Nezperce, Idaho) 1900-1957, 1923-02-22

The farmer has always been patri
otto and loyal to his country. In re,
sponse to the call for more wheat ana
more farm products the farmers OF
this country made an increase OF 20
100000 acres in 1917, 1918 and 1917
This. together with the surPlps OF
farm products that existed IN tnis
country. left an overproduction from
which the farmer has suffered 10
great extent. :
As compared with farm values IN
1910 there has been a shrinkage IN
the market price of all farm products
in the last three years of something
more than sixteen billion dollars, vast
~ more than the actual cost OF our
railroads and equipment put togetner'
The attention of the committee was
called to the fact that congress IN
creased the wages of something over
ZOO. 900 railroad employees JOG per
cent. and by doing SO stabilized tne
price of labor not only of the rall-
roads but in every other industry ano
upon the farm as well.
The committees attention was
called to the fact that congress, thru
legislation, was responsible for hori'
zontal increases on all farm products
Of 65 per cent, and with the reduction
that was made in 1922 the average
increase to-day is 40 per cent over
pre-war freight rates.
It was shown that the farmers dor
lar today, has only purchasing power
of 65 cents on the average, but IN
some of the grain-growing states OF
the west the farmers dollar has less
than so per cent of q pre-war pur'
chasing power.
A table was submitted showing thai
very large per cent If the price OF
the farm. products from Idaho to Chi
cago, Kansas City, and Boston is re-
quired to pay the freight. 1t was
shown that it takes 81 per cent OF the
price of potatoes to pay the freight
to Chicago, SO per cent of the price OF
onions, Sc per cent of the price OF
wheat, IS per cent of the price OF
beans, Is per cent of the price of
hogs, and Sc per cent of the price OF
cattle; So per cent of the price of hay
to pay the freight to Kansas City, and
9 per cent of the price of wool to pay
the freight to Boston.
1t was shown that on the higher
class freight, such as the manufac-
lures of wooden and cotton goods only
III to 21a per cent of the value was
required to pay the freight from the
| factories to Idaho, and on the higher
class fabrics much less was required.
1t was shown that today the farmer
is getting on an average 1l2 per cent
cent of what he received for his pro-
ducts in 1913, while the wholesale
price for all other commodities is 1859
per cent of 1913.
The farmers are complaining that
the horizontal increase made by the
Federal control act and the horizontal
increase made by the Interstate Com
MERGE Commission in the freight rates
on farm products, which is the same as
on highpriced manufactured goods, is
unfair and unjust and something I'M
heard of before in railroad rate max
ing. Ever since the railroads became
factor in the commerce of this coun
try it has been the practice to fix
the freight rate on all commodities
somewhere near what the product
would bear to carry it to market, but
in making these horizontal rates no
thought or consideration was given to
the raw products of the country where
the freight rate becomes very large
factor in the market price.
We believe the farmers of America
have a right to feel outraged over
forcing them to bear more than fair
share of the upkeep and operation of
the railroads of the country.
A review of the actions of the I'm
tied States Grain Corporation shows
conclusively that the farmers were not
treated fairly by that corporation.
The farmers of this country believ
ed that when the price of 1920 per
bushel was made by the Grain Corpor-
alton in the primary markets of the
country that it was to have been the
minimum and not the maximum price,
and on the day the price was fixed
by the corporation, wheat was selling
in Minneapolis for 1912 per bushel.
The day after it was selling for 1920.
The farmers of the country, we be-
lieve very properly, have objected all
along to the government making a |
profit or becoming Spectator in the
price of the products of the soil.
After the government increased the |
price of labor on our railroads and the |
price of freight rates, the cost of the
wheat crop of 1920 was in excess of |
the price fixed nv the cornorat;on of |