The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1925-12-07
COOPERATIVE MARKETING OFFERS
BEST SOLUTION OF THE FARMERS
PROBLEMS, SAYS PRES. COOLIDGE
His Views the Agricultural Situation and His Proposed
Remedies Outlined in Address Before American
Farm Bureau Federation Today

I rates To about $4,000 farmers IL
! addition. there is the general bank
! ing system. national and state Al
, oil these agencies need to give NOR,
| informed attention to farm needs
! hey need more energy in admins
| tratIon. They should be equipped :,
| supply not only credit but SCUM,
| business advice. and the farmers to :
! much better extent should learn I,
use all these facilities.
| Cooperative Marketing
! For more orderly marketing cal
culated to secure a better range O1
| prices the cooperative mOvemen,
! promises the greatest success. Al
ready they are handling $4,000 900.
600 OF farm produce. or nearly one
| fifth of the annual production The
disposition of surplus produce mas
been discussed. If by this us meant
the constant raising of Il larger sup
ply than Is needed. it is difficult to
conceive Of any remedy except re-
ducen production IN any such COM
modify But there are. Of course
accidental SURPRISES due to more fuv-
orable weather conditions. which are
| unavoidable and which ought to be
managed 50 that they can be spread
over Il year or two without depress-
ing prices.
The initiative Of the farmers
them selves, with such assistance as
can be given them by the govern
lnent without assuming responsible
~ or business management through
financing and through the coopera-
tive movement. would appear to be a
wise method of solving this prob
lem. Of course ! should be willing
to approve any plan that can be de-
vlScd in accordance with sound econ
omic principles.
40 have agriculture worth any
thing, it must rest on an independent
business basis. 1t cannot at the same
time be part private business and
part government business. | believe
the government ought to give it
every assistance. but it ought to
leave 1t as the support. the benefit,
and the business Of the people. The
interest which the national govern
ment takes in agriculture is manifest
by an appropriation Of about $780,
100000 Il year, which is nearly one
fifth of our total expenditure, exclu-
sive of the post office, prior to the
war. ! do not need TO recount what
is being done for education and good
roads. for opening up our water
ways. or the enormous activities of
the department of agriculture. which
reach to almost every farmer in the
land
The Effect of the Tariff
Turning to the effect of the tariff
on agriculture, Mr.. Coolidge told his
aulience that the free list, consti-
tuting 81 per cent Of imports. was
constructed Especially to favor the
farmer. and contains more than fifty
articles, which he purchases. like fer
tilizer, leather harnesses, farm ma
chinery. coffee. binder Irvine, barbed
wire and gasoline"
OF the 81 53O.0OO,0OO Of goods pay
ing imports last year. $7s0.OOO. 900
was on agricultural products levied
solely to protect the farmer" he
pointed out. continuing:
Thus 80 per cent of our imports
either come in free or pay a duty to
protect the farmer. This must be
further increased by s25O.OOO, 900
more of imported luxuries like dia-
monds. fine rugs, silks. cut glass,
jewelry and mahogany. These items
cannot affect the prosperity of the
farmer. This brings the total of i'm
ports up to 80 per cent which are
either free. or Injuries. or protected
to help the farmer, and leaves only
IL per cent of our imports upon
which the agricultural industry pays
any part of the tariff.
But, on the other hand, our in
dustrial and city population pays the |
tariff on the $3.50, 100000 worth of
agricultural imports and also partici- |
pates in the 100000, 900 worth of |
imports outside Of Injuries. While |
the farmer pays part Of the duties |
on IL per cent of our imports which |
do not benefit him, industry and COM
merce pay part of the duty on SO per
cent of the imports which do not !
benefit them.
Only a Small Increase
"But if we take all that the farm
er buys for his household and farm
operation and subtract from it ar
ticles dutiable to protect the farm
er, the free list, and luxuries, we
should have left less than ten per
cent of his expenditures. This means |
that less than ten per cent of farm
purchases are at an increased cost
which is adverse 70 the farmer. Ad-
hitting that the price of these pur-
chases is increased by the full
amount of the duty, this means that
the total adverse cost to the farmer
on account of the tariff is only be-
tween two per cent and three per
cent of his purchases.
MANY economists consider that
even this calculation as to the con-
tribution of our farmers to the tar
III is overestimated. As their expen-
ditures include many items for la
Dor and service on which there is no
duty, the proportion of total expen-
diture on dutiable articles outside
the three lists above mentioned is
not ten per cent, but only three per