Cottonwood chronicle. [volume] (Cottonwood, Idaho) 1917-current, 1923-02-23


the corporation of the handling,
transportation, insurance, stor-
age, and other charges with res
pect to the wheat, the corpora
ton is authorized to retain from
the guaranteed price s cents on
each bushel Of wheat purchased
by it.
An embargo upon wheat and
wheat flour is declared, which
shall be effective until July /,
1926. Exceptions to the embargo
are (1) wheat to be used for
seed purposes, (2) in-transit
shipments of wheat or wheat
flour, and (S) wheat imported in
compliance with the tariff act of
1922 for use in manufacturing
flour, which is in turn to be re-
exported.
The bill provides for the disso-
luton of the corporation as
soon as possible after July 1,
1926: Upon the dissolution of
the corporation, all assets and
property thereof shall be con-
verted into cash and covered in
to the Treasury of the United
tates as miscellaneous receipts.
At different times numerous
witnesses have appeared before
the committee and testified as to
the condition Of agriculture, and
while there seems to be some
improvement in some products
of the farm, it was clearly shown
that the condition of the wheat
grower is growing harder and
harder, and that he has been
producing wheat below the cost
of production for the last thee
years, and unless something is
done to stabilize the price of
wheat in this country there is
grave danger of that branch of
agriculture breaking down and
becoming demoralized.
One of the saddest stories re-
lated to the Agricultural Com
mittee was by Mr.. John F. Sim
clair, who gave his business as
banking and investment, and his
residence as Minneapolis, MINI.
Mr.. Sinclair stated that in the
last IL months there were 956
farm mortgages foreclosed in
Minnesota, 2,456 in North Dako-
ia, 969 in South Dakota, and 955
in Montana.
The question "Can the farm
ers work themselves out of their
present fincancial difficul les ?"
was submitted by Mr.. Sinclair to
a number of banks in Minnesota,
North and South Dakota, and
Montana, and POI answers were
received. All, with the excep-
ton of five, stated that it was
impossible for the farmers to
work out Of their present finan-
cial difficulty with the high cost
of production unless something
was done to stabilize the price of
wheat by the government.
The saddest story told by Mr..
Sinclair was of the suicides that
have taken place upon the farm,
in which he stated that last year
there were 81 suicides on the
farm in Minnesota, 81 in North
Dakota, 80 in South Dakota, and
Is in Montana, making 168 sui
cides in those A states in the last
IL months.
Mr.. R. w. Frazier appeared
before the~committee and testi
fled as to the condition Of the
farmers in North Dakota.
Mr.. Frazier exhibited news
papers showing that in some o1
the counties in North Dakota
more than rs per cent of all the
farms were advertised by th'
county for delinquent taxes.
Mr.. Frazier testified that il
Divide County, N. Oak, las
year there were 18 suicides. H,
stated that they were all farm
ers, with the exception of on
coal miner.
From all over the countr,
comes the story Of the hardship
and privations upon the farm
Everywhere the story is told O
the young men leaving the farm
In one county in Idaho 1,50
young men were reported a
: leaving the farms last year.
, The story is told of childre,
in some parts of the country be
i. ing forced to go barefooted an
denied the benefits Of schools be
cause there was so little lef
: from the harvest after freigh
and expenses were paid that i
some cases charity had to be ez
tended to some of the farmers i
States where the soil was ric
!, > and the harvest abundant. Thi