Evening star., 1924-10-24

| now spread to agricultural products.
If a mistake wass made, it was not
made by this administration. The
Government Is now proceeding in the
opposite direction.
Advantage must be taken of the
present period of relief to provide, by
the adoption of sound business meth
DDS and sound legislation, against the
recurrence of such disastrous depres-
sion. This is not political question,
| it is an economic question. 1t is not
| sectional question, it is a national
question. 1t does not relate merely
| to the welfare of those who live on
the farms, 1t influences the welfare
of all the people of our country.
| have withheld the calling of an agri-
| cultural conference on the advice of
some of the leaders in the farm or
| ganizations. But l stand committed
| to this proposal. / believe it holds
| out the best promise of wise solu-
| tion and the best method of a SUBJ
| stantial agreement among the farm
| organizations themselves of what
| they desire in the way of Govern
ment action. I, therefore, propose to
| call such conference, to consist of
some of the leaders in the farm or
ganizations and some of the promi-
nent representatives of farm econom-
les in our agricultural colleges, to
| formulate a program for legislation
| to be presented to the Congress which
we can all support. The farmers
have suffered enough from those who
| have attempted to barter their votes
| for unsound remedies. L want their
| business put on sound basis by
| thorough and scientific study, where
| it can exist on an equality with other
| businesses.
Cites BituminOus Mining.
What we may hope for in this di-
rection is illustrated by our present
foreign trade. In 1913 both imports
and exports were but $4,000, 900, 900.
After the war the trade of the whole
! world collapsed, but we have brought
| our foreign trade up to about SS,000,-
000,0 Translated into pre-war
! prices this would be about 5000, ,000,-
| 600.
when we look for an example of
| benefting consumers, we shall find it
in the bituminous coal industry.
| Three years ago there were about
5000 mines. or so per cent more
mines and miners than could be given
Irregular employment. The Department
of Commerce found there was need of
more cars, more Summer storage and
more industrial peace. These have
been accomplished, with the result
that while in the profteering period
of 1920 run-of-mine coal averaged
1854 ton, Notwithstanding the
strike of 1922. it averaged 1857 per
ton, and for the year ending June 80
it averaged s2.23 per ton. This indus
try has been organized, but not mo-
| nopolized; it has between 1000 and
5000 competing mines. and no person
| or group controls more than or 8
per cent of the production.
1T is impossible to escape the con-
clusion that the general economic
condition of the country is good.
| While business and agriculture have
not fully recovered the losses caused
| by the world wide depression which
| always follows war they are now on
| a fairly profitable basis. 1t would be
| natural to suppose that every well
| wisher of the country would be anx-
! ious TO maintain the present estab-
lished order of things, which has Civ
en- to the people of America a posi-
| ton superior to that ever before held
! by any people on earth. But in spite