The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1932-09-03
Farmer Says Privilege of
Farming Cost Hin, So, 900
Nebraska Strike Leader Tells
Why Producers Have
Started Movement

was sent to the midwest corn belt
to find out what the farm strike"
is all about.
Copyright, 1872, NEA Service, Incl
Sioux City. Ia, Sept. 3.-"You can
for the privilege of farming these days
and you work your head off be-
Sides"
In those words Fred kriege, presi-
dent of the Nebraska Farmers Holt
day Association. explained why the
farmers OF his state Joined the Iowa
farmers in the move to hold farm
produce Off OF the markets until a
better price has been won.
He stood by fence in his farm
yard as he spoke, and gestured with
one hand toward his barns. which
needed paint, and his fences, which
needed all manner of repairs.
Look at that he said. DO you
think l keep my property that way
because I want to? Or because l
don't know any better? I'd like to
keep my place up. But I haven't the
money. Over there IS my tractor.
It's 10 years old. Instead of getting
a new one this year I had to hunt
around find spare pats where l
could. and patch it up.
1.-THE farmer these days Is existing
he isn't living. That's why this farm
strike is going over. We're going to
stick until we get what we want, ana
we'll stick if we have to guard the
roads all winter.
Every farmer around here. almost,
feels the same way. You'll find fell
lows out there on the picket lines
whove been up SO hours and more at
q stretch. Fellows that go home ana
thresh for two days and then go out
on the road to Keep the trucks from
moving. And we're making new con-
verts every day.
ANY number CT men whose trucks
We have stopped, and who got good
and sore about it, too, at first, nave
ioincd us now. And the people IN
Sioux City are with us. Why. one
restaurant there in one day dished
out GO meals to the plckets. Thats
the sort OF corporation were oegln-
ming to get
A number OF fussy chickens, not yet
fully grown, wandered across the
tarnvard. discussing sometimes quer-
ulously. Kriege gestured at them.
Look at them kriege said. "Not
long ago we were paying 10 cents lo'
baby chicks. Those chickens there.
noW-sell EN- at the market and you IL
pet around 10 cents apiece for them.
Oh. well. we've had the fun OF feeding
them.
you know, they say the farmers
troubles come because he's a poor
business man. All I can say Is this:
the man who can buy at retail ana
cell at wholesale, as the farmer does
and still keep on living, is a business
man and damn smart one. too
Beyond his barn stretched the
Green fields of his farm-beautiful
fields, rich-looking, fertile. deep with
grain.
I'D be better off this year If !
hadn't planted any grain at all, but
had simply put in clover to keep
down the weeds he said. That's
what we're up against We are losing
money-good, hard cash-on our
years work Do you wonder we're Tor
this farmers strike?
This land around here. according
to every analysis that has been made
is the best farming land there is any
where or earth. Why is everybody
broke? Why is the countryside pow
erty stricken! God and nature didn't
do it. Man did. The country will
never recover economically unless the
farmer RECEIVERS. because farming Is
the country's basic industry. And the
farmer won't recover until he finds
some way Of getting for the fruits oil
the earth price that will enable him
to hold his land. keep his property in
decent condition and make a little
profit.
Il have o debt of s2oO I went to
the bank to see about loan. Do you
know what they wanted for security?
Seventy acres OF barley!"
That the Nebraska farmers are quite
as ready to band together as the
ldLIItIo Vi liz. tIINSsclGlil lO"o " G1S
graphically demonstrated on the first
day OF the strike in Nebraska. The
movement went into effect at 6 a. m;
by evening fully 1000 men were pick
citing the roads on the Nebraska side
of the Missouri River. opposite Sioux
City. within a l0-inile radius of the
toll bridge that leads across the river
The Farmers Holiday association
has collected an eloquent set of fig.
urcs to show how the corn belt farm
err has been getting the hot end OF
the poker. After figuring in the price
Of the average Iowa farmers land, the
taxes he pays annually. the money he
spends on improvements, farm ma
chinery. labor, upkeep and so on, the
percentage that ought to be charged
off for depreciation. the farm strike
leaders have arrived at totals which
they say, accurately represent the unit
cost Of production on the average
Iowa farm.
Their figures, whether you accept
them or not, are interesting.
They show. for instance. that II
costs the farE-er % cents g hi'S'el Il
raise corn. The average price fol
corn, over a five-year period, Is 6s
cents a buareI. 1lley $40" .i.aV a
costs him $l.36 to raise a bushel o.
wheat. The average price, over
five-year period, has been $l.O2
busllel. It costs him SLIPS per hun
Gredweight TO raise hogs. The aver
age price ger hundredweight, during
the last five years, Is S3.46.
Whether those figures are correc
or not, they at least are accepted b!
a lot of farmers--which makes TN
strike easier to understand.
Cutting down to present prices
figures from farm strike sources SHOW
the farmers are asking much more
than they have been receiving TO-
their products.
Figures for a certain recent da!
show the following:
HOGS: Market price, $3.50 per cwt.
farmers ask SLIPS.
CATTLE: Market price, 1925 PEI