The Oroville weekly gazette. [volume] (Oroville, Wash.) 1905-19??, 1923-11-23
Economic Aspect Of Agriculture
Must be Considered by Farmers

Editors Note-The following arti-
Gle Is portion of an address deliv-
cred by Edward C. Johnson, Dean of
Agriculture and Director of the Agri-
cultural Experiment Station at Wash
mgton State College, Pullman, at the
State Unity day program, sponsored
by the Washington State Press asso.
citation, ut Ellensburg, August "a. In
stallments of this address will be
printed In the Gazette from week to
week until the entire article has been
published.
Article G.
What is the reason for this situa-
ton? To this much thought has been
given and not the least by the farmer
himself. Many say it is overproduction
while others take the attitude that
there can be no Overproduction as
long as parts of the worlds population
are under-nourished. Certainly our
production has been such that the
world will not take the farm products
grown at price remunerative to the
farmer In that sense, then, there has
,been OverprOduction in the country.
The farmer himself, has begun to feel
more and more, however, that the ex-
listing prices of his products is not in
Itself as serious as the fact that the
Iprices of other goods are so far on,
of line. He feels that while he sells
the majority of his goods on a world
market where the surplus exported
largely sets the price, most Of the
manufactured goods which he mus
purchase are sold on Il home market
protected against importatiOns by ar
Itificial barriers and the surplus |.
lsold abroad at whatever it will bring
1.-THE understanding that is coming II
/ lwell illustrated in a letter from cor
, lrespOndent to the Portland OregOnial
, lin recent issue who says: IF TIT
, farmer must sell his products in thu
markets of the world the manufactur
Ter must do the same thing" In Othe
words it is a growing conviction OF
1.-THE part of many that if their good
must meet the competition OF tn
Iworld markets, the same situate
should prevail with reference to maj
Il lufactured goods in order that the ba
> lance in purchasing power between tn
farmers products and manufacture
goods may be restored through the o.
lderly working of economic laws.
On the other hand, large and II
It Icreasing proportions of the farmer
It are convinced that the producer OF al
IS ricultural products must be organize
Is until they control the major part
n tho output i'm every line so tn;
IS through this control they may set ii
l. thrice of their goods in the home ma
v kets and set their surplus abroad
n iwhatever it will bring. This OF nece
sitv involves tariff sufficiently hia
ii ON farm products to prove as eiie'
:. i've barrier against imports as II
. Ibarrier against imports of manuia'
ured goods. Which of these two lue'
a will prevail. only time can tell Ne
g tain 1t is that the economic CONDITION
80 for the farmer must improve or q
r,n;d movement from farms to cltf
~ tho last two years when upWar
of million and a half nave actu''
hoer lost TO the farm will continue
s. 81 = balance Is reached and prod'
as tion on the farm has been reduceu
ely such an extent that an increasing Il
TO uroent demand from the non-fafini
on nonulation will bring the prices
ke line This slow working OF ecoilon
le law, while certain, often Is or
m remedy and means untold losses
'pt ,;++or,v thousands of individual faI
TOT ers that the farming Industry IL
whole NAV be saved. In the long
,te hocouse of inevitable short crop We
ms and absence of surplus II a'so
on ontai such human suffering from
zen tnal want for food on the part OF
nal city populations. Should it not be
20 chile for us to help in a more RI
lille reodiustment so that such situa'
fin NAV never be necessary?
left As a result of the critical situa
,tiu suu, tho economic standpoint,