Evening star., 1923-07-24


publican senatorial committee, says
that the farmers of the middle west
are dissatisfied with present condi-
tions. and that the unrest is likely to
spread. The present conditions" re-
fer to the market prices prevailing on
grain and other staple products. ~
Just what party politics has to do
with the price of farm products may
be open for political elucidation-it
Is not the function Of this column
to enter into that discussion. The
International Institute of Agriculture.
at Rome, Is not at all interested in
any political party, but is engaged in
gathering data from all countries,
concerning the world production Of
staple crops. What it reports is gen.
orally accepted as reliable.
After all is said about how specula-
tors affect the market quotations on
grain. the fact remains that grain
value depends finally on how much Is
needed for actual food. The data from
Rome disclose the fact that sixteen
countries of Europe are producing.
this year. enough excess wheat over
what they productd last year to give
full supply for year, to 30,0OO.0O0
people. That is an increase of. l24,-
100000 bushels over last year. when
we were still feeding Europe's starv-
ing people with American wheat. They
don't need that we should feed them
now: they don't need our wheat. That
Is nearly third as many people as
there are in the United States: It iss
equal to the entire population OF
France.
In little Switzerland. Algeria and
Tunis. there is an Increase of over
24,269.000 bushels, which alone Will
be as much wheat as 100000 VIII eat
in a year.
Italy, Algeria and Tunis have more
than doubled last years barley-127
per cent increase. Algeria alone pro-
duces this year 46,297. 900 bushels of
barley, where last year she wv only
i9,S04, 900 bushels. Tunls is H. "esting
11,4s2.000 bushels. in place of 1885, 900
last year. Neither Tunis nor Algeria
ever heard of the democratic or repub-
lican party of America, nor of the vary
ing tariff schedules .of any American
party. yet il is said that American
farmers are determined TO overturn
both old parties and put none but dirt
farmers on guard.
The worlds productiop OF oats this
year is IL per cent greater than last
year. All grains-wheat. oats. barley.
corn-are interdependent, as to price.
If there be bumper crop of oats and
small crop Of wheat. the oats will al
ways tend to depress the price Of
wheat. because IL will be used as a
substitute in consumption. Tunis is
times the amount of oats she produced
last year. Shall the democrats or the
republicans be blamed for that?
Senator Brookhart demands that the
government shall actually buy all the
products OF staples raised by the Amer
ican farmers this year and make the
purchase price high enough TO make
farming profitable.
Farming would be profitable if only
Europe would not break in with it's
bumper crops. but would let our farms
feed her millions: Perhaps what our
farm leaders really want is plenty of
tanglefoot alliances which would stop
alien competition in the production Of
food. Soviet Russia experimental by
making the government take over all
farm products. at its own price. The
soviet farmers then quit producing
Yet senator's who have recently visited
Russia come back and want the United
States to repeat soviet experiments
which totally failed in Russia.
X y i
Even before this years great crop
appeared certain in Europe, the need. of
American farm products over there
had fallen off by increased production
in several European countries.
In 1920 Great Britain took Of our
farms products sf.193, 100000 worth ::
last year only 100000 900. France
took in 1920 s32S.000, 600: last year
only s177.00o. 600. The Netherlands
took in 1920 l45o00,Ooo: last year
only s92.000,so0. Six countries. in
cluding the above. took in 1920 s2,-
100000 900 and last year only sl,297,-
0o0.000-a falling off of over s1,143.-
600. 900 of our farm products.
Europe has been steadily coming
back to a status of self-support since
1920. Up to that year she had been
almost paralyzed by the war and had
not been able to plant or reap a nor
NAL crop.
Economists tell US that such facts
as cited above cannot be quoted by
party demagogues and that they make
for depression in farm prices by the