The Hardin tribune-herald. [volume] (Hardin, Mont.) 1925-1973, 1934-10-26
Machinery and Agriculture

the base Of all other industries.
Daniel Webster once said, when
tiElage begins, other arts follow.
The farmers, therefore, are the
founders of civilization"
Before the coming of the ma
chine age, the farmers used hand
tools in farming operations. It
was a slow, tedious process and
they were not bothered with over
production because as a rule they
had a hard enough time produc-
ing enough food for sustenance
and material for clothing to do
them from n year until the next.
Nor were they bothered with the
money problem. They simply ex-
changed their produce-a cow for
a horse or so many bushels of
wheat.
The coming of the machine age
completely changed their mode of
living. Many people who we're
both farmers and craftsmen were
forced to move into the cities to
work in factories. Those left
on the farms, through the use of
machinery, began to produce in
larger quantities, to supply the
needs of the factory workers and
owners: In exchange for their
products they received money with
which to buy back the manufac-
tnred articles. But from the very
beginning the dollar the farmer
received for his products was not
worth the dollar he had to paw
when he went to buy back man
ufactured commodities.
Between the years of 1919 and
1888 the prices of what commod-
1ues the farmer had to buy aver
aged 1884, above the prices he re-
ceived for his products. Pros
per1ty will never be regained for
any length of time until the prices
OF the farm products and the
prices of commodities reach a
parity or level, and stay there.
Machinery has given the farmer
many advantages: among which
perhaps n of the most imnor-
tant IS better educational advan-
tages. The farm children of to-
"ay can enjoy as good IN edu-
cation as their city cousins.
transportation is another re-
suit OF the machine age that has
greatly benefited the farmer.
through the facilities of the rail-
roads and trucks, farm products
al now be transported to mar
kets very quickly, sometimes sav-
ing the farmers many dollars
spoilage or sudden low prices.
machinery has broadened the
farmers social life, through the
use OF radios, automobiles, tele-
phones and electricity. Twenty
miles to town in a a or auto.
mobile, to church, theatre. or
some other form Of amusement
IS quicker and much more com.
Portable than five in a WAGON ~
buggy. ~ VI
Machinery has brought dis
aoVantages as we'll as advantages.
machinery has been the cause NJ
oVerproduction, indirectly, by capi-
tal dtsplacing men with machines
machinery lowers the wages and
decreases the buying power NJ
labor. Consequently labor eats
less and wears less, thus the price
OF farm products is lowered be-
cause of overproduction.
Inc use of machinery on the
farms and scientific methods of
controlling insects and diseases of
plants on farms has partly caused
overproduction. "A farmer can
now farm twice as much land in
less than half the time through
the use Of tractors, combines and
other modern equipment, It
would take too much time to list
all the disadvantages and adyan-
tages OF the use of modern ma
chinery in farming.
Agriculture is the leading indus
try of the United States and it
is from agriculture that all other
industries earn a living. Yet the
farmer receives the lowest wage
OF all for his work. The really i'm
portant question is-Are we going
10 let capital, through the use of
machinery, control the farming
industry and limit the prices of
farm products? That Is exactly
what is happening and the only
way to stop this injustice is
through cooperation. All other
workers, from brick layers to tex
tile workers have unions. They
are cooperating together to de-
mand a fair share in the profits
Of machinery.
The Department Of Agriculture
estimated the total farm popula-
ton Of the United States to be
27,430,000 people in 1880, and there
has been a decided "back to the
farm" movement during the de-
preston. Everyone Of these peo-