The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1930-01-15
GOVERNOR BRINGS
FARM CHALLENGE TO
INDSTRIAL LEADERS
Minnesota Executive, in New
York Speech, Shows Tire
Makers Need for RestOr-
ing Economic Balance

Agriculture challenge to industry
has been presented forcefully to an
important group of Industrial leaders
by Governor Theodore Christianson.
Addressing the National Association
of Tire Manufacturers in New York
City, Jan. g., the Governor declared
the adjustment between agriculture
and industry must be made. with
out it," he said, there can be no
permanent prosperity for either in
dustry or agriculture" Challenging
the statement of "a certain New
Hampshire senator" the Governor
questioned pointedly the judgment of
-'those men in this senator's own
group who, to further the temporary
advantage of certain industries, all
but wrecked the Presidents program
for restoring that industrial balance
on which the permanent prosperity
of all industry must ultimately rest"
Choosing an illustration from their
own business the Governor told the
tire manufacturers how growth Of
their own business, and of the entire
automobile industry, had changed the
farmers's economic situation. at is
not my purpose" he said, "to intim-
ate that we should stop running auto
mobiles and go back to transportation
of the model of 1890. We refuse to
become one of Mr.. Grundy's back
ward state A farming population,
more than any other, needs the auto
mobile and, more than any other is
entitled to it. Instead of discontinue
ing driving automobiles, we must find
the income to support them. Instead
of going back to the simple life we
need to find the increased income to
sustain the more varied and more
expensive, but l believe, finer and
richer life which the machine has
made possible. To do that requires
adjustments-adju that will
test the ability of the statesmen of
America and the foresight and wis
dom of it's industrial leaders"
A fair adjustment of the tariff will
help restore the industrial balance.
When President Hoover asked the
Congress in its revision of the tariff
to leave the industrial schedules as
they are, except in a limited field,
and boost agricultural schedules, he
sought to restore that fine equipoise
of industry and agriculture which is
essential to the prosperity of both.
To offset higher agricultural sched-
ules in the tariff with increased in
dustrial schedules is not economically
wise.
''Those who produce the country's
bread, butter, beef and pork expect
to find additional aid" the Governor
said, ''in the efforts of Mr.. Legge
and the Farm Board to correlate the
efforts of 100000 farmers to pro-
vide a profitable market for their
products-a market freed from those
seasonal gluts and price fluctuations
which give the Spectator an opport-
unity to levy unconscionable toll on
the producer" Development of in
land waterways was also emphasized.
A warning was sounded to indus
trial leaders who look to foreign
countries for markets to make up
for the loss sustained by the impair
ed purchasing power of agriculture.
Industrial victories won by Ameri-
cans in foreign fields since 1914 are
not necessarily permanent. Industry
in other countries are recovering
from the disastrous setbacks of war
and are preparing to supply it's own
markets and to invade those of other
countries. When an awakened Europe
limits our foreign markets, the Gov
ernor warned, "of what avail will
have been our adventures in indus
trial imperialism if we have permit
ted the hame market to be impaired.
''We can in no event expect to sell
industrial products in any important
volume to industrial nations. Our
industrial exports must in the main
be to agricultural nations If COM
petition drives US out of the Argen-
tina, Australia, Canada, Russia and
the other food-producing countries,
where will we find farmers to buy
that margin of production on the sale
of which industrial prosperity de-
ponds, if the farmers of our own
country have in increasing numbers
left the farms and themselves be-
come Industrial producers
Economic pressure has Leen driv-
ing rural people to the cities at an
accelerated rate. Increase in uroan
population has had two results: it
has swelled the ranks of the unem-
ployed; it has intensified the pressure
for industrial production"
Directing his challenge to them as
"leaders Of a great industry" Cover
nor Christianson called upon the tire
manufacturers to help restore agri-
culture as a national duty.
"All things come to him who
waits" and thine and tide wait for