Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1923-07-28
FARM EDUCATION
Some Factors Affecting Our Future
DEVELOPMENT
BY DR.. ANDREW M. SOULE

Some Factors Affecting Our Future
Development
The buying power of the farmAr
must be increased before prospect
ty can return to this country or the
world at large. Statisticians indi'
cate that living costs are in round
numbers so per cent higher than
those which prevailed in 1914
Strange as it may seem, these costs
are not attributable to food prices,
but rather to an increase in cloth
ing, rents, fuel and sundry commodi.
ties. The peak of food prices was
reached in this country in July, 1920.
| BY March, 1928, the cost of living
had dropped 222 per cent.
These figures would seem to indi'
cate very clearly that agricultural
products have not risen in proper
ton to other costs. Yet the very
fact that prices have risen for all
the other necessities of life make it
self-evident that the farmer has been
Disseminated against very matepi-
ally, whether Intentionally or not.
His purchasing power has thereby
been reduced to a material degree.
No one class of citizens can prosper
at the expeAse of the other, and
there is something unsound when
such conditions prevail as those por-
trayed by these figures. Unless a
correction of these conditions can
be brought about at an early date,
there can be no continuance of pros
perity, for the purchasing power OF
our farmers has been so greatly re-
duced as to minimize the consump-
ton of many manufactured articles.
1t mas been demonstrated that we
can increase the value of the cotton
= crop to our Georgia farmers by sew
eral million dollars a year if ar
engagements can be made to sell it so
the producer will receive a price
somewhat approaching that which
the manufacturer pays. Some PEG
pie have thought this was not worth
while. In this they are very much
mistaken. If cotton leaves Georgia
underpriced, quality considered, the
state is the permanent loser. On the
other hand, if 800 900 farmers grow
cotton in Georgia and receive an
average of $25, $50 or 500 more per
farm for their cotton, enough mon
ey is kept at home and put into cir
culation to make the state prosper
Gus and to afford the producer a
proper increment on his labor and
investment and so encourage him to
continue to cultivate his land. The
sooner urban communities realize
! the fundamental nature ct this doc.
trine, the more rapii;!y will we re-
turn to a stale of normalcy.
The movement to urban from ru-
raj communities remains unchecked
Two million persons left the farm
in 1922, but through shifting proc
ess, the net shift was reduced to
about one and one-half million. High
wages and the superior advantages
OF the city are causing most of the
urban migration which is now go
ing on. The cities are finding it a
difficult problem to take care of so
great an influx of people. Feeding,
clothing and housing them has be-
come veXtious problem. What are
they to do? Some have wished for
us to become an industrial nation.
We are moving in that direction
with such rapidity that we cannot
even take up the slack in the
rope" History will have something
unique to record if a nation as large
as ours and with such marvellous.
natural, potential resources is to
abandon the pillow for the forge.
Movements of this character are not
wholesome and should be deplored
rather than encourage d. There is
only one way of correcting this con-
dition, and that is to insure the
landowner a large return for his
labor and energy and proper rate
OF interest on his investment.
Reference has been made at an.
other place in this report to the i'm
portance of all efforts of this char
acters- The congress OF the United
States has taken cognizance of this
movement, and, through legisla-
tive enactment, has helped to provide
the means by which farmers may
coordinate their efforts for the pur.
pose of marketing their crops anC
their live stock to better advantage
This is movement in the right di.
rection. and. given time to establish
itself properly, will help to bring a
measure of relief to our producers
Of food and raw materials. mum
/. Der of institutions of this character
OF food and raw materials. A num-
Der of institutions of this character
have taken root in our state and
made cCmmendable progress during
y
the workings of these institutions
and have done what we could to
promote their development alons
constructive lines.
It is difficult to induce farmers to
cooperate. Probably this rs on &C
count of their relative isolation, anc
the fact that many efforts of this
kind have not succeeded in the past
The world is given over to too much
pickering and fault-finding at the
present time Deriding the other fel
low seems almost to have become q
pastime. What we need to do is tt
cultivate more generous spirit
work in helpful sympathy with eacf
other, coordinate our interests ant
! our efforts with his, and so help
him TO put over cooperative market
ing enterprises successfully. In
proportion as we do this, will We
help to STABILIZE conditions and give
the produdcer the opportunity he i.
entitled to enjoy,
It is the duty as well as the
privilege of the business men and
the leaders of thought and industry
in every line to acquaint themselves
with the purpose and object of the
cooperative organizations at work
IN this state and lend them such aid
advice, support and encouragement
as they may need to have from tins
to time Our agriculture is faced b.,
a crisis. and for our business inter
ests to do less under existing cir
cumstances is nothing short of sui
cide from AZ economic point of view
Surely, there is enough brotherh
love and sympathetic understanding
left in our hearts to enable our ri
raj and urban units of society t.