Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1934-05-31

have been dedicated to a different
type Of society than that which pre-
walls in other lands.
This recovery issued out of an eco
nomic collapse, as it was inspired by
what had been the most neglected ele
ment in the nation. The recovery of
Denmark came from the bottom rath-
er than from the top. 1t was the
work of many people rather than of
few people. 1t is not only an ex-
hibition of industrial well-being, it
is a recognition of the potentialities
of democracy as we'll.
A Comparison With America.
Let us compare what the farmer
has done for himself in Denmark
with what has been done to the farm
er in the United States by our COM
mercialized distributive system. The
statistics of spreads and margins
which are available are inadequate.
They do, however, give the approx
tribution of our commodities.
DR.. Frederick V. Waugh, of the
Bureau of Agricultural Economics, in
an address before the American Farm
Economic Association in Philadel-
phia last December, quoted an esti-
mate that the total marketing bill OF
the United States for the year 1929
was $27 100000. This estimate is
made up as follows:
Cost of operating retail
stores .......... S14.O00.O0O 900
Cost of operating whole
sale houses o,OOO,UOV,VOO
Manufacturers cost OF 90
Freight transportation. 4.OO0.0OO.OO
Total ......... % 'ooV'Vo0'oOV
According to this estimate, almost
one-third of the income of the United
States in 1929 was used to pay for
marketing goods. DR.. Waugh says
that this estimate is certainly con-
sentative
Taking the five major types OF farm
products of the country, comprising
Is per cent of the total value OF FOODS
consumed, a rough estimate shows
that the value received by the pro-
Queer in 1929 was 40 per cent of the
total retail value Of $1,000, O0O,OOO
In other words, the farmers received
S7,566, OOO,O 900, while the consumers
paid $1,000, 100000 for the finished
products.
In recent years the farmers share
of the consumers dollar has been
growing less and less. For instance,
in the case of fourteen important
foods, it is estimated that in 1929
the farmer got AZ cents, while the
distributor and professor got So
cents; in 1881 the corresponding fig
ures were 3S cents and 62 cents; in
1892, 33 cents and 81 cents; in March
1888, 81 cents and 50 cents.
Recovery under the Agricultural
Adjustment Administration reversed
this drift to some extent. In Novem-
Der 1888 the farmer got SO cents OF
the consumers dollar. while the dis
| tributor and professor got GA cents
| Put another way, typical monthly
purchases per family, of fourteen i'm.
portant foods, cost Spell in 1929. Oh
this the farmer received S12.4O, while
the professor and distributor received
$13.71.
In 1892 the average cost of these
foods was $16.7S, of which the farmer
received 1854 and the professor and
| caooivad
AS to dairy products, the farmer
received SO cents of the consumers
dollar in 1929, while he received but
81 cents in 1882, and 3S cents in 1888
AS to wheat products, the farmer in
1929 received % cents of the consum
ers' dollar, while in 1888 he received
but II cents.
AS to meats, the farmer received
SO cents of the consumers dollar il
1929, 35 cents in 1882, and 3S cents il
1888.
In this exhibit of these two nation:
we have two different approaches t.
the problem of the farmer. In one
nation the farmer is his own process
sor, his own manufacturer, his owl
distributor, his own salesman. Agri
culture is self-contained industry
like the steel trust. In the other ex
hibit, the farmer intrusts to other
the processing, the manufacturing
the distribution, and the selling of hi:
products.
Now, it is an interesting Statistical
fact that the gross income of tn,
farmer i'm 1888 was almost exactly tn,
same as the gross income of the fac
tory employees. There is APPARENT.
an underlying principle in this paral
lei. Factory wages and farm income
go hand i'm hand. If, therefore, WI
can increase the farmers income b.
absorbing to the farmer some of thu
costs which now go to the distribu
tor, we can confidently expect an in
crease in factory pay rolls as well
If agriculture in America could b.
made a self-contained industry, and
the returns of agriculture could b
increased in amount, the pay enve
lope of the factory employe might b
increased by like sum.
Come on, RemOrSe!
A forpoar ur;toc in tho oh AFT nOOo