Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1934-03-22
HOLIDAY WOULD
LOWER DEBTS
State Secretary and Vice President
Tell AskOv Audience of Need for
Organization.

A fair sized crowd attended the
mass meeting held by the National
Farmers Holiday Association in the
ID. B. S. hall in Askov Tuesday after
noon when Walter Groth. secretary
of the state organization, and State
Vice President w. A. Dunbar of Cam
bridge. were the invited speakers.
Mr.. Groth explained the Holidays
program for scaling down debts with
the same kind of dollars as those
which were borrowed. He compared
the source of many of the debts as
being made when farm products sold
for from three to five times the
prices they do now. After a few re-
marks, Mr.. Groth was followed by
Mr.. Dunbar who talked for more than
| an hour on the accomplishments of
the Farmer Holiday movement.
The speaker commented upon the
! fine sized audience, stating that it
was something different than what
he is accustomed to, since many times
meetings are held throughout the
country with only a very few in at
tendance. Like Mr.. Groth, Mr.. Dun
bar told of the peak prices in 1927,
1928 and 1929 when many debts were
made, and asked why should it take
10 cows now to pay for the one bought
at that time. Dunbar advised any
debtor to get in touch with the county
Holiday Grievance committee and try
to reach an agreement with the cred
itor. In this way there might be 4
possible settlement mutually agree
able.
In commenting on the Farmers Hol-
iday Association, the speaker said
that it is strong enough to be recog-
nized at the State Capitol, at Wash
ington and in Congress. The farm
ers have the power if they will only
use it and organize. Don't leave our
problems to the president said the
speaker, but put pressure behind con-
| gress and get behind the president.
Put the right men in the legislative
halls and take them out when they
Only Two Crops Show Surplus.
Dunbar talked against the Agricul-
tural Act and against the tactics of
John Brandt, president of the Land
O'Lakes Creameries. He called at
tentiOn to the apparent folly of TAX
ing crops out of production when
there are people starving in the coun-
try. There are only two crops which
show surplus in this country, said
the speaker, and they are wheat and
| cotton. If no milk products were
shipped into this country there would
be Is million too few dairy COWS here.
When the farmer received a larger
price for his products he produced
| less and the hired man worked less
| they had time to go to town on Sat-
urday afternoons and were we'll
dressed. Now when there are low
prices farmers are working hard to
produce more-thus the production
problem. He reviewed this by say
ing, give the farmer cost of produc-
ton for his products and he will take
care OF the production problem. In
this connection he stated that If the
minimum price or cost of production
for bushel of wheat was set at $3.50
and there is 25 per cent surplus,
then rs bushels of every hundred
would be sold for the S1.5O and the
other 25 would be placed on the world
market to bring smaller price to
the farmer. This in itself would
cause the farmer to work less and
produce as near as he could to the
| actual demand.
Mr.. Dunbar commented upon the
recent Governors conference at Des
Moines, Iowa, and stated that they
would submit to the president the
cost-of-production clause and advo-
cate it's insertion into the Agricul-
tural Act. He paid tribute to Cover
nor Floyd B. Olson of Minnesota.
Among his closing remarks the
speaker commented on the relief pro-
gram, especially that among the
farmers, saying that it is disgrace
to have to help people who are will
ling to work when If they were paid
what their products are worth they
could help themselves.
After Mr.. Dunbar's talk various
questions were asked from those in
the audience as to the scaling down
of debts. but no definite plan was ar