Evening star., 1925-12-07

business management, through financ-
ing and through the cooperative
movement, would appear to be wise
method Of solving this problem. OF
course, I should be willing to approve
any plan that can be devised in ac-
cordance with sound economic princi-
pies.
Must Have Business Basis.
ITO have agriculture worth any
thing. 1t must rest on an Independent
business basis. 1t cannot at the same
time be part private business and
part Government business. l believe
the Government ought to give it every
assistance. but it ought to leave it as
the support, the benefit and the busi-
ness of the people. The interest which
the National Government takes in
agriculture Is manifest by an appro-
priation of about $l40,0 900 a year.
which is nearly onc-fifth of our total
expenditure, exclusive of the Post
ONCE, prior to the war. / do not need
to recount what is being done for edu
cation and good roads, for opening up
our waterways, or the enormous ac-
tivities of the Department Of Agricul
ture which reach to almost every
farmer in the land.
The most important development
movement. With the economic in
formation furnished by the depart
ment, which was of such great value
to the hog and potato industries for
the last year or two, with better ware
mouse and storage facilities and
better credit structure, much can be
done to take care of the ordinary sur
plus. With a production influenced
by information from the department.
Ia et,N 4 l.
necessary credit and the orderly mar
keting effected through cooperative
action, agriculture could be placed on
sound and independent business
basis. While the Government ought
not to undertake to control or direct
1t should supplement and assist all
efforts in this direction. The leaders
In the cooperative movement, with
the advice of the Department Of Agri-
culture, have prepared what is believed
to be an adequate bill embodying these
principles, which will be presented to
the Congress for enactment. l pro-
pose actively and energetically TO as
slst the farmers to promote their vel
rare through cooperative marketing.
PrOblmem of Surplus.
Under the working out of the pro-
visions of this bill the farmers would
have the active and energetic assist
ance Of the Government in meeting
the problem of surplus production.
Through consultation and conference
the best experts of the country would
be employed as the needs require and
| methods Of storage. credit and mar
keting would be devised The
agencies created would have at their
disposal the active cooperation of
the great organizations of the Depart
ments of Agriculture. Commerce and
Federal banking. Their representa-
tives at home and abroad would be
engaged in locating and supplying
domestic and foreign markets. The
fundamental soundness of this pro
posal rests on the principle that it is
helping the farmer TO help himself
Already the cooperative effort in
raisinS and other products has met
| with marked success by adopting
| this plan.
1T would be a great mistake to un-
derestinate the difficulties under
which the farmers labor They are
entitled to all the sympathy and help
which the Government can give them
But 7 feel they are also entitled to
consider the encouraging features of
| their situation. Human nature is on
their side. We are all consumers of
food. The more prosperous we be-
come. the more we consume of the
higher-priced products. In the past,
| farm prices have always tended to
get the better of industrial prices.
! In the period from 1920 TO 1860 there
was a general rise of all commodities.
but farm prices increased about so
per cent more than other commodi-
| ties. After the Civil War. from the
seventies to 1896, there was a decline
in all commodities. but farm prices
declined less, SO that their purchas-
ing power actually increased. From
| 1886 TO 1913, according to the Bureau
of Labor Statistics. the index number
I of farm prices rose 81 per cent while
| that Of other prices rose but 81 per
cent. It was this great increase in
| the price of food products which