The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1930-04-30

lOr " years 10SCTuCCeQ farmers II
methods Of increasing production Il
the end that the unit cost Of produc.
ton might be reduced. That's sound
What q glaring inconsistency, K
setup at the cost Of taxpayers one sc,
Of government institutions to increase
agricultural production, and lesser
It's cost, and then turn around ane
set up another galaxy Of government
institutions to increase the price o.
the thereby created surplus ana *
limit its production"
Millett asserted that what the bust.
ness interests Of the United State,
needs is mot more combination, in.
Guiding farmers. but less interference
with the law Of economic supply and
demand, functioning through price,
He said adherence to this law was the
"only sure, inevitable, sound, scien-
tific method Of eliminating the mar.
ginal producer"
Farmer Unencouraged
Saying that under recent conditions
there was nothing to encourage the
farmer to improve his property
Chairman Legge continued:
"One modern improvement on
which the farmer has kept strictly
up-to-date Is the farm mortgage.
Most Of them have that.
THE farmers struggle has been
one Of meeting time payments on the
mortgage. A struggle In which he
has failed in q very large number Of
cases, and the record Of foreclosures
and forced sale Of farm property Is
still running high.
After many years Of discussion
and elaboration congress finally
passed the agricultural marketing act,
which many Of you people are now
branding as socialistic, o. anarchistic,
and complaining Of interference with,
or necessitating some readjustment
in the present system Of handling
cretain commodities"
Need Readjustment
1T is rather difficult" Legge con-
tinued. Ito see how progress can be
made toward improvement in the ag-
ricultural marketing situation with
out necessitating some readjustment
of existing conditions"
The country generally and busi-
ness men for the most part gave their
approval Of the agricultural market
ing act before 1t became q law.
Il am sorry to say that there has
been considerable evidence the past
several months that entirely too
many Of your members were for the
principle Of cooperation only SO long
as it didn't work.
when it became apparent that a
means had been provided that really
would help the farmer get organized
comparatively 80 that he, like other
producers, would have some voice in
determining the sale price Of his
commodity. the effort was branded as
government price fixing, putting the
government in business, ETC., and all
Of this Notwithstanding the fact they
had declared Enthusiastically for the
principle Of cooperative marketing
only q year previously.
Business Received Aid
II do not recall in years gone by
of hearing you business mel making
any such complaint against govern
ment aid that was extended to the
manufacturing industry. to transpor-
tation and to finance, and these all
played their part in adding to the
disadvantage Of the farmer as did
also the preferential treatment to la
Dor through immigration restriction
and other measures.
I'VE r not complaining about
what the government has done for
others but 1t does seem to us that
these beneficiaries ought to be will
ing that the farmer also be given a
helping hand from the source so that
he, too, will be in position to take
care Of himself in the economic sys-
tenn that has been built upon in this
country so largely by special fayors.
IAN the farmers are trying to do.
with the farm board assistance, is. by
together. to apply the same
methods and business principles to
their industry that were adopted in
other lines long since. II they were
good for you fellows they are like
wise good for the farmer"