White Bluffs spokesman. [volume] (White Bluffs, Wash.) 1907-1938, 1923-02-09

he will have to restrict his consump-
ton to bare necessities. This means
that hunger is only a short distance
ahead Of him.
Not Much overproduotlon.
It should be perfectly obvious to
every city man that 1t Is of first i'm.
portance to place agriculture on so
profitable q basis that there will be Q
constant expansion in food produc.
ton. It should be equally obvious to
every farmer and city man that prices
to the consumer should be on that
level which will induce the greatest
possible consumption.
There may have been overproduc-
ton in the past, but am of the opin.
ion that there has not been nearly so
much overproduction as most people
believe, and especially in recent
years. I think that the trouble has
been, and especially now is, under.
distribution. 1t is my firm belief that
If there were an efficient and eco
nomical distribution of foodstuffs 1t
would be exceedingly difficult to OBJ
tain an overproduction under present
conditions or those which will obtain
in the future.
So long as there were millions of
acres of free and easily developed
lands overproduction was a natural
result During this period of easy de.
velopment there was also a tremen.
dous advance In the invention and use
Of efficient, labor-saving farm machin
cry and equipment This helped in
overproduction.
The Farmers Troubles.
We shall always have an improve
ment in the methods and machinery
of production, but against these we
have some factors that will Offset
them. In the first place where man
could engage in farming few years
ago with practically no capital invest
ment he must now invest somewhere
between 5000 and $4,000 an acre, de
pending upon the kind Of farming he
intends to engage In. Every new farm
that is developed In the future mus
first be reclaimed, and it does not
matter whether 1t be arid, cut-over
swamp and overflow lands or aban
doned farms, the development cost
based on productive value, is approx
imately the same. The high initial
Icapital investment required will pre-
| vent rapid expansion of agriculture
even under the most favorable cir
cumstancss. j
The increase in pests that attack
food crops is calling for steadily in
creased efforts to combat them, which
adds materially to the cost Of opera
ton. This is another deterrent tc
overproduction in the future.
Every crop that is taken from the
soil takes something from it's produc
sive capacity. The time must come
when the cost of fertilization and re
Mobilization of the soil will be one Of
the major factors in production.
think 1t should be so considered now
Here again is deterrent to the rapid
expansion Of agriculture, and factor
that will work against overproduc
ton.
Agriculture should be expanded III
exact proportion to the demand Of in
creasing populations. This increase
in population will naturally tend te
become more rapid.
With the expansion Of agriculture
more difficult and the increase in pop
ulation more rapid the problem of a
food supply will become more and
more acute.
am not presenting these facts as
an argument for the immediate and
forced settlement of waste lands in
an effort to compel the rapid expan.
sion Of agriculture. am presenting
them as basic facts which must be
considered in cooperative spirit.
The First Step.
maintain that the first step to
ward an expanding program Of recla
nation and settlement is establishing
the present American agricultural In
dustry upon a stable and profitable
basis. further maintain that the first
step toward bringing about this con
dition is to reduce the proportion Of
the dollar that goes for selling and
distribution. When city men and
farmers are agreed upon these facts
it will not be 80 very difficult to work
out cooperative plan for the solu
tion Of the problem.
l have not attempted to offer a so
luton of the problem but merely to
point out 1.-THE Relation the Consumer
Bears to the Agricultural Problem Of
Securing a More Economic Distribu'
ton" Surely 1t is obvious that the
consumer should be more vitality in.
terested in the solution than even the
farmer.
Smith-Dobbs just escaped a d.
vorce suit by a hair.
Jones-Yes, he found 1t on his coat
before his wife did.