The Washington times., 1923-12-24
GOOD OUTLOOK
|SSEENFOR
FARMERS
Senator Capper Believes 1924
Will Show Marked Improves
ment in Situation.
By w. s. COUSINS.
Copyright. 1923. by Cosmopolitan
Nowa darvfCa \

NEW YORK. Dec 24.-''All indi-
Dcations point to a gradual i'm
provement in the farmers economic
position" said Senator Arthur Cap
per of Kansas, reviewing for Cos.
mopolitan News Service the outlook
for the great agricultural sections
Of the country next year. -
For three years." Senator Cap
per continued, ''the American
farmer has been producing wheat
at a Iohs, but another year should
show an improvement in his case.
The wheat farmer is still curtailing
his acreage, cuttin his production
to meet more nearly the require
ments of the home markets and
avoiding surplus production which
is always disastrous to him.
At Bottom of Ladder.
Better business methods, CO.
operation in the marketing of
products, and some decrease in the
spread between the costs of things
the farmer buys and the price he
gets for the things he sells, will
contribute to the Improvement of
the farmers economic position. He
is still at the bottom of the ladder
in comparison with other producers.
His most pressing need is relief
from excessive transportation costs.
hope to see substantial reduction
in freight rates soon."
Henry c. Wallace, Secretary of
Agriculture, pointed out that the
country cannot attain prosperity
until the farm group, which COM
prises about 80 per cent Of the
total population, gets its fair share
Of national income, and is able to
sell the products of it's labor at
prices fairly relative to the price
Of what 1t buys.
Basis Of Prosperity.
Industry, commerce and indus
trial labor may prosper for a time
at the expense of agriculture" said
Wallace, las they have during the
past three years, but the longer
that. continues, the more hurtful to
the nation will be the results. The
truth of the statement that in the
United States national prosperity
must rest on a sound and progress
sive agriculture stand unchal-
lenged.
Half billion dollars will be
added to the cash income of the
American farmer in the present
fiscal year, according to the COM
putations of a number of stats.
ticians, including o. E. Bradfute,
president of the American Farm
Bureau Federation.
THE cash income of the farm
ers for the crop-year ending June
80, 1924" said Bradfute, will be
$500. 900, 900 more than in the pre-
ceding year, and almost 50 900 900, :
600 more than in the low depres-
sion year 1921-1922. These figures
denote actual cash income, received
or to be received from the sale of
crops, livestock and animal products
and have no reference to the in
creased valuation Of stocks on
hand.
Farmers Cautious.
''It is too early to make a safe
prediction for crop yields for the
year ending June, 1925, but re-
PORTS to my office indicate that
farmers are planning their pro-
gram for production with caution,
and will undoubtedly grow less
wheat than last year. Livestock
and dairy products should continue
to bring in as much cash as this
year. Cotton may not hold its
present high price record.
1.-THE agricultural dollar Is not
worth as much has before the war,
in equivalent purchasing power as
compared with other commodities;
the gap, however, is narrowing"