Imperial Valley press. (El Centro, Calif.) 1907-current, 1923-03-12
>Babson Warns Wheat Growers
of West; Consumption Declines

week we quoted Roger w. Babson
relative to conditions in the "In-
dustrial West. - This week Mr..
Babson treats of the Agricultural
West.
1.-THE Agricultural West he
says, is confronted with funda
mental law which is this: the CON
sumption per capita of wheat de
creases as a people becomes more
prosperous. The business man eats
less wheat than his chauffeur; the
chauffeur eats less than the Italian
gardener and the gardenr eats less
than the immigrant who has just
landed. Each generation of a given
family eats less wheat than the pre-
.eding generation, and 80 it goes.
This law does not apply TO cotton,
sugar, rubber and certain other pro-
ducts. 1t does not so much apply to
corn, which is fed to live stock, be-
cause as people become more pros
porous they eat more meat, and they
consume more cotton, sugar, rubber,
etc. This does not mean there is
10 hope for the wheat growers; but
It does mean that the wheat growers
nave a more difficult problem than
he growers of most other products.
$50 long as a million new immi-
rants were coming into this coun-
sry every year, and so long as our
birth rate remained high, there was
In increase in the demand for wheat
efficient to take cure of the excess
supply. With the immigration prac-
ically cut off-the net gain in 1922
vas only about $4,000 people-and
With toe constant decline in our
native birth rate, the wheat growers
# the Agricultural West are up
,gainst a very difficult proposition
Condition Found Bad
GAS a result of these conditions
found the small farmers of Min
lesota, North and South Dakota,
Kansas. Nebraska, Iowa, and even
hose Of Missouri still in rather bad
3hape. 1t is true that conditions
everywhere in the west are much
better than two years ago. The
banks are liquidating their frozen
credits and the farmers are paying
their debts; but with low prices for
their products and high prices for
labor and all they buy-with taxes
rapidly interchangeable growers of
wheat and other cereals have n real
problem. Fundamentally this is,
under present immigration and bet
.er rate conditions, problem which
must be solved through exporting
cereals. But to increase exports,
our farmers must compete with the
low cost labor of Europe, the Argen-
tine and other cereal growing coun-
tries. This means that our only
hope is in mass production. Wheat
must be grown as automobiles are
made-by the most efficient and in
tensiYe methods. In order to com
pete with the rest of the world in
raising wheat, either the net pro-
ductiyity Of our soil per acre must
be increased % per cent, Or else the
labor cost must be cut % per cent.
If the latter is to be accomplished,
without reducing wages, it means
that about 20 per cent of the men
now engaged in raising wheat should
either raise other products or else
become carpenters, brick layers,
plasterers and painters-in their
own or nearby towns. The future
of such cities as Minneapolis, st.
Paul, Kansas City, Duluth, Des
Moines, Davenport, Sioux City,
Omaha, Topeka, Wichita, and ever
st. Louis depends very largely upor
a fearless recognition and solution
of this problem. 1t cannot be solv-
ed by politicians or by handing out
gifts to the farmers. 1t can be
solved only by intelligent leadership
with the active cooperation of the
newspapers.
More Divasificatior
"Of course, no one should assume
from these comments the idea that
the Agricultural West is dependent |
upon wheat. The Industries of this |
wonderful section of the United
States are becoming more diversi-
fled every day. Moreover, these di-
versified industries are rapidly pick |
ing up. The lumber industry of |
Minnesota, the dairying interests |
Of this section, and tine various 9th |
er lines are improving. Packing, |
which was flat on its back wear |
go, is turning over onto it side |
preparatory to getting UP. All the
live stock business looks better and |
the farmers are confidently looking
forward to higher prices, The i'm
provement il the copper industry |
and tho great improvement in the !
iron and steel industry is helping
the northern group of these states. |