The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1923-01-22
FARM PROBLEM
DEPENDS ON
EXPORTS
Price of Surplus Determines
Price Received for Whole
Crop.
By JOHN H. HOWARD.
President Of the American Farm FEEDER
ation Rureau

EEoStuenC OF the american EaIth ECueA
II alton Bureau.
Copyright 1923. by Cosmopolitan
News Service.)
+ What the American farmer needs
today is price-not price meas
ured in dollars and cents, but a
price for his products measured In
goods and services which he has
to have.
If the. cotton grower received
so cents per pound for his cotton
and the farmer five dollars q bushel
for wheat, it would do no good II
other necessities went up accord
ingly. The difficulty is that no
matter how much the farmer may
obtain for his products, If things
that he must have likewise increase
in price he does not profit.
Depends Upon Exports.
The fact is, business conditions
for the farmer will not improve
very greatly, and he will not be
on his feet once more until the
European situation is settled. IT
takes a wiser man than myself to
guess when that will be. APPROX
mately so per cent of the cotton
grown in this country, 25 per cent
of the wheat and 10 per cent of
the pork go for export. The price
of the surplus determined the price
the present European conditions
affect the American farmer.
The encouraging thing just now Is
the appearance in some cities in this
country of foreign labor shortage.
Whenever labor is scarce, prices
for the farmer are good. The
farmer does not approve of unrG-
stricted immigration, taken from
the larger cities in Europe, with the
idea that it will be available for the
American farm. Rather he wishes
that the best of the American
citizenry in our own cities be In.
duced to turn to our farms, thereby
avoiding the possible creation OF a
peasant class here.
Want Lower Rail Rates.
One thing which would help great
ly in lettering conditions for the
American farmer would be a re.
the State of Iowa. 1t is one of the
richest and most productive States
in the Union, bat it is a long way
from the markets. Transportation
rates are so high that the Iowa
farmer is badly handicapped. The
same is true in many other States.
The Interstate Commerce Commits
sion could remedy this, to great
extent, If IL were so disposed.
One favorable feature / see COM
ing-and indeed several railroad
presidents with whom ] have talk
ed told me it is here even now
is movement of population from
many OF the large eastern cities 10
the West. This viii bring the con-
sumner nearer the producer. It will
reduce transportation rates to the
farmer as well as to others.
am told that already plans are
under consideration for the cree
ton of several wooden mills in
Utah, which is one of our chief
wool growing States: more mills in
Montana where copper and other
ores can be treated without paying
present high rates for long haQls
of ore, and factories in cattle grow
ing States where leather can be
at a saving in trans
portation rates. Kansas City, as a
shipping point for cattle, instead
OF Chicago, is becoming increasing
ly important.
Eliminates Long HauIs.
CorrespondingIy, large manufac-
turing interests are constantly turn
ing their attention to Chicago,
Dallas, ST. Paul and Minneapolis,
Kansas City and Sioux City, with
San Francisco and Los Angeles
further west. as preferable points
for location than cities in the West.
where long hauls of raw materials
from the West at high rates are
largely eliminated.
These conditions are all favorable
to the farmer. And heaven knows
he needs a helping hand.