The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1928-08-16
Hoover's Three Way Farm Relief Plan

Secretary Hoover, in his nomination acceptance
speech, reveals himself as staunch supporter of
the national income and expresses little patience
with the objection that the federal government
should not spend the several hundred million neces-
sary to make farm relief reality. The excerpt
dealing with his agricultural relief stand follows:
'"The most urgent economic problem in
nation today is in agriculture 1t must be solved if
third of our people directly and to all of people
indirectly We have pledged ourselves to find So
luton.
"In my mind most agricultural discussions go
wrong because of two false premises. The first is
that agriculture is industry. 1t is dozen dis
tnct industries incapable of the organization.
The second false premise is that rehabilitation will
be complete when it has reached point comparable
with pre-war. Agriculture not upon a salts
factory basis before the war. The abandoned farms
of the northeast bear their own testimony. Gener-
ally there but little profit in midwest agricul
ture for many years except that derived from the
slow increases in farm land values. Even of more
Importance is the great advance in standards of lv
ing of all occupations since the war Some branches
of graiculture have greatly recovered, but taken
a whole it is not keeping pace with the onward
march in other industries.
'There are many causes for failure of agricul-
ture to win its full share of national prosperity. The
after-war defation of prices not only brought great
direct losses to the farmer but he often left in
debted in inflated dollars to be paid in Debated dol
our markets during the harvest Local taxes
have been increased to provide the improved roads
and schools. The tariff some products is proving
inadequate to protect him from imports from,
abroad The increases in transportation rates since
the have greatly affected the price which he re-
ceives for his products. Over six million farmers
in times of surplus engage in destructive COMPETE
ton with another in the sale of their product
often depressing prices below those levels that cou
be maintained.
"The whole tendency of our civilization during
the last SO years has been toward increase in the
size of the units of production in order to secur
lower costs and a more orderly adjustment of the
flow of commodities to the demand. But the organ
ization of agriculture into larger units must not b
by enlarged farms. The farmer has shown he can
increase the skill of his industry without large oper
alton He is today producing 20 per cent more than
eight years ago with about the same acreage and
personnel. Farming is and must continue to be an
indviduaistic business of small units and indepen.
dent ownership: The farm is more than business
it is state of living. We do not wish it converted
into mass production machine. Therefore. if The
farmers position is to be improved by larger opera
tons 1t must be done not on the farm but in the
Held OF distribution Agriculture has partially adj
vanced in this direction through temperatures and
pools But the traditional cooperative is often not
a complete solution.
Differences of opinion to both causes and
remedy have retarded the completion of construc-
tive program of relief. 1t is our plain duty to
search out the common ground which we may
mobilize the sound forces of agricultural reconstruc
ton. Our platform lays solid basis upon which we
can build. It offers affirmative program.
"An adequate tariff is the foundation of farm
retef Our consumers increase faster than our
PhouuCSio. Inc uOHeSClc market must De protected.
Foreign products raised under lower standards o.
living are today competing in our home markets. /
would use office and influence to give the farm
er the full benefit of our historic tariff policy
"a large portion of the spread between what
the farmer receives for his products and what the
ultimate consumer pays is due to increased trans
portation charges. Increase in railway rates has
been one of the penalties of the war. These in
creases have been added to the cost to the farmer Of
raching seaboard and foreign markets and result
therefore in reduction Of his prices. The farmers