Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-02-17
Sun Rises for L. S. Farmer


1929. And China. coming to a CONSOLE
dated national government after vir-
tually is years of civil war, is once
more preparing to turn her 800 600, 000-
odd hands to the loom, the forge, the
tea hills and the rice puddles. More
workers, more buyers: China will be q
better customer in 1929.
Obviously this general economic re-
covery throughout the world is not all
velvet" for the American farmer. A
concomitant in each country of course,
is degree of agricultural recovery
which must lead to larger world pro-
duction of the principal crops, keener
competition in foreign markets, and. In
some instances, lower prices for the
more highly competitive export crops.
Withal, the American farmer, aided by
superior machinery, more rapid and de-
pendable transportation and an in
comparably more elaborate scientific
organization. can scarcely avoid reap
ing large share of the anticipated ex-
pansion in agricultural foreign trade
resultant of the more or less uniformly
rising living standard through the
mending world
Borrowed money probably will cost
the farmer more in 1929 than it did in
1928, due to the higher money rates
enforced by the phenomenal industrial
expansion and stock market turn lover
during the last five years, but the
Government survey concludes that
even the respective higher rates will
still afford the farmer opportunity for
profitable investments In saving
machinery, fertilizer and OUTLAWS in
cident to quality production.
The general level of farm wages is
not likely to show any appreciable
change during the year. Neither Is
there PROBABILITY of an increase in ma
chinery costs The tendency here is in
the other direction. Fertilizers will be
a trifie higher, rejecting a steadily in
creasing application of scientific farm
ing in the face of a relatively rigid
productive capacity in the artificial
fertilizer industry.
Do Not Give Full Picture.
But even all these purely economic
factors do not portray the full picture
of the farmers immediate future. IN
less all the legislative representatives
OF the farmer on Capiol Hill have mis-
judged the political outlook, the agri-
cultural Industry Is to be further set up
as going business by sound legisla-
tive program. President-elect Hoover is
pledged to deal with the bugaboo of
farm relief" In thorough fashion be
fore the next harvest" Virtually every
leader in the long controversy which
has ragged in and out of Congress about
the catch-phrase equality for agricul-
ture" has expressed the conviction,
since Mr.. Hoovers recent visit to Wash
ington, that the new administration will
deal with the problem in a comprehen-
sive and satisfactory manner In the
forthcoming extra session. Never before
since agriculture first cried aloud to
Congress in 1920 has the opinion been
so universally held in Washington that
bill at once adequate and acceptable
Is in the making
1t is, of course, too early to predict
what form the Hoover program will
take in detail, but there Is q fixed
conviction among those most keenly
interested that 1t will be thorough,
sound, based upon the stark economic
realities of the situation and, formulated
with q view more to longtime build
ing than to haphazard or experimental
palliatives. The present outlook, ac-
cording to q consensus OF informed
opinion In the Capital, is for a compre-
hensive revision OF tariff schedules on
agricultural commodities Means likely
viii be found also to secure more