Douglas daily dispatch., 1927-08-27
STATISTICS OF
auto INDUSTRY
FARMERS HOPE

zone of the most hopeful signs in
the agricultural situation is the fact
revealed by recent statistics that rural
registration of automobiles is increas-
ing in the United States, says j. w.
Frazer, sales manager of the Chrysler
Sales corporation. 9TH more our
farmers have Of all kinds of gas power,
electric power and mechanical equip
ment the sooner they will leave be-
hind them the troubles that have been
making their lot so difficult"
The Chrysler officials comments
were prompted by farm papers dis
cussion of the views Of statistician
who called on its editor and blamed
automobiles for farm problems OF the
country.
The statistician argued like this:
Automobiles and trucks, with some
help from tractors, have decreased our
horse population by 100000 since 1900.
This has shifted 24,000,000 acres which
we're formerly used to feed work
stock, over to the production of hu-
man food. If only 100000 of these
acres are tillable land, that means, in
terms OF corn, 4500O0,000 bushels,
which is more than our 1926 corn
surplus, an excess that has been rep
resenting a goodly share of the farm
problem.
"The statistician might have added
that probably we would have no sur
plus crops but for tractor-plows and
gas-driven combines continued Mr..
Frazer. "But the editor raised the
pertinent question whether the farmer
today would be willing to exchange his
car for horse and buggy. Would any
farmer step out from under his fl
nancial worries and other cares if he
could, by trading his speedy acess to
town, his riding and. power machin-
cry, his radio and the like, for dads
working tools and isolation?
"The farmers must have more me-
chanical help, if they are to hold their
end with the cities, where machinery
steadily increases the workers pro-
ductive power; thereby giving him a
large measure of good things for fewer
working hours. If farmers are to share
in this progress, they must adopt the
same methods - they must similarly
multiply their own productive power
into larger and larger outputs.
Farmers know this. They know
that the old, simple ways will no
longer serve. In the days of these
there were few things for farmers to
buy-few men producing anything ex-
cept soil stuffs. Most of our popula-
! ton then farmed for living.
"But now for every farmer there are
at least three men engaged in other
! activities. Wherefore, every farmer
must now feed and clothe three men
in the industries, if he would have
| them all work for hinl-if he would
have something of what they all pro-
| duce-if, in other words, he would en-
! Joy an American standard of living.
"That is the farm problem. The re-
quired increase of individual farm
production has enlarged the aggregate
output, temporarily depressing prices
| of some items, and thus squeezing a
few farmers off the land
"But all farmers are better Off
both those who continue farming and
those who have been forced into other
WORKMAN they would be if all had
remained on the land, dividing the
total farm income among more homes,
and each accordingly having less
money to spend for city goods.
"It is a significant fact that last
| year CllSIG Was u live per CS1lG gam III
rural registration of motor cars. 1t is
also interesting to note that in terms
of staple farm products it costs the
farmer from IL per cent to So per cent
less to pay for his automobile or truck
Today tnan it did in 1913. In other
words the exchange value in wheat,
hogs, wC0l, cotton, corn and cattle for
motor vehicles is from 1-1O to two
times greater today than in 1913.
more cars on the farms of the
country means better times for agri-
culture"