Evening star., 1926-01-21
AGRICULTURE SEEN
AS|TS OWN DOCTOR
Jardine Tells Illinois Body
Farmers Can Solve Most
of Problems.
By tho Associated Pre-..

UEBANA. ILL.,. January -l.-A farm
er-controlled agency to handle uGri
cultural mcrcha ndisin- N relation to
the farm surplus problem WAS favored
by Secretary of Agriculture w. NJ.
Jardine in an address today tt the
annual meeting of the Illinois A-ri
cultural Association. In such q
rightly constituted agency. board or
comission he said. he saw the pos
yibiIty OF attacking the surplus prob
lem in constructive and scientific
way alons broad lines.
In the long run. he said agriculture
will have its measure Of prosperity.
and Is III bottom a sound. going buSi-
ness. lie wanted to make clear. he
explained. that for the long pull, I
am an op.imist on farming c"ndi-
tions."
The surplus. he declared, is a prob
lem underlying the whole agricultural
situation and ii is matter of ma
tional concern.
lie is opposed to price fiNinc and
acainst Government handling of farm
products.
Reduction OF Handicaps.
1t has seemed TO me, however. that
something constructive could be done
toward reducing the handicaps which
surround certain phases of aGricul-
tural merchandisinS-the term mer-
chandising being here used in its
hroadest sense. 1t has seemed 10 me
that this could and should be done by
some farmer-controlled agency. When
Mr.. Dickinson came forward with his
new bill introduced in the House
January 4. it appeared that we had
approached some common ground on
the points just now referred TO, and l
frankly and openly said so.
Il tried TO make II plain that l want
TO give full consideration to ConStruC-
tive proposals directed to the surplus
problem. even though I did not favor
All the provisions 9f the Dickinson
bill as introduced. There has been
formation of Federal farm board or
commission as embodied in the Dick
inSon bill and other proposals.
II see in rightly constituted agency
of this nature. the possibility of at
tacking the surplus problem in a con
structive and scientific way along the
broad lines I have indicated. Further
more there is a broad field of action
for such board as powerful spokes-
man for American agriculture.
Foresees Sound Action.
The Secretary said he had called
into conference men Whom he con-
sidered the best equipped in the
country to contribute to a solution
and fvould continue to hold such con-
feeenceS the remainder of January
a nd the fore part of February. There
is great division of opinion on the
subject. he said. and all bitterness
in these discussions should be buried.
for the American people would prcht
by fair minded. sympathetic consid-
Grafton of conditions.
Il look forward" he said. Ito ulti-
mate action on this problem. which
will be sound. constructive and in the
interest of the Nation
when the tide turns badly against
us it puts in motion those forces
which ultimately will swing it in favor
again." he said. IF the experiences
of previous generations teach us any
thing, it is that one of the best times
10 buy farm Is when farming seems
in poorest repute.
On the farm must be solved a sub
stantial part of the problem of how
to assure to agriculture A fair share
in the national income. he declared.
Efficiency in Operation.
1T is essential to have the best
possible readjustment Of production
to market requirements, he con-
tinued. Rapid progress has been
made in recent years by public
agencies in collecting and disseminat-
ing the necessary information which
helps farmers to adjust their produc-
ton programs 10 the consuming de-
mand to give them great advantage
in their planning.
1T is essential to have the utmost
efficiency in farm operation. Every
farm management study that has been
made reveals wide range in farm
business organization and methods.
On one side of line fence is a man
who organizes his business expertly,
who plans ahead, who uses his labor
to advantage, who gets high yields
from his fields and his animals. On
the other side of the fence his neigh
Dor may worry along on a haphaZard
basis. his crop Yields below par. his
live stock more of a liza ability than an
sset. There is no formula under the
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