The producers news. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1918-1937, 1935-08-30


les this year follows a substantial
falling off last year. Eleven lead
ing food chain stores showed in
crease of only 6.2 percent in sales
from 1888 to 1884, according to a
compilation made by the Progress
sive Grocer. AS retail prices of
food rose 1913 percent in same
period, the actual volume of gro
ceries purchased was more than 4
percent less. (These figures ex-
clude A & P sales, which are no
longer made public but which are
known to have suffered a decline
worse than for the industry as a
whole.)
What Happened to Farm Income?
A special study of farm income
is made by Farm Research in its
June Facts for Farmers. We sum-
Marie some Of the main points
in this excellent 35-page bulletin.
They help to make clear the real
status of farmers under the New
Deal.
Percent of national income going
to agriculture dropped from POS
in 1918 to 81 in 1892. The relative
share of the national income going
to agriculture has fallen in recent
years, even though the relative
numbers of "gainfully occupied"
in agriculture have been increasing
Gross farm income for 1884 is
estimated at about S7.2 billion, the
average" farm income in that
year having dropped to $500. But
poor farmers, it is estimated con-
servatively, received less than $500
Although the Roosevelt govern
ment boasts that farm income in
1884 increased about a billion dol
ars(actually it was only $9O7,-
000,00O) in 1884, it is still 5 bill.
lion less than it was in 1929, wher
half the farmers averaged" only
$500 year.
/ This increased income in 1881
came largely from payments BY
the AAA in connection with thu
governments crop and livestocl
destruction program, the payment
being made out of processing tax
es saddled on the mass of Unite,
States consumers chiefly tn
J working class.
Low standard of living of farm
ers who, in 1884 were supposed
receiving this nearly one billiol
dollar increase, was indicated b
such facts as the following:
Some 80 out of every 1000 los
their farms not because they want
. ed to sell out but because thep ha
to sell owing to mortgage fore
closures or delinquent taxes.
! Farm mortgage foreclosures
: first quarter of 1885, according
! Washington Post increased 20
percent over last quarter of 1913
! and go percent over the first qua
ter of 1884. These are figures r
presenting some 794 communiti,
O and covering over a fourth of Il
. farm population.
: Local survey of farmers in o
n lahoma showed that farm famili
: there spent less on themselves
n 1884 than in 1933-fgures f,
from $151.8O to $148.85. But p1
" ces had gone up at least 11.93 pc
!, cent during the period. So the
: farmers should have spent $16'
: 90 if their living standards in 10
were not to drop below the Lev
e of the previous year.
= Average per capita expenditu1
% for health, dentist and other p'
- sonal expenses of 25 typical Ok
homa families carefully stud
70 were reduced from $11.36 in 1S
~ to 1886 in 1884.
p RELIEF-One million ia
J" families are now on relief-o
ID out of every six in the count
s. And this does not include all Tho
It. persons on relief who live in ru
r areas.
% Corporate Dividends Increase
ut Although the decline in ind
to trial production that occurred
ne first half of this year has not ,
g. been checked, corporate dividen
on the WHOLE" as United Busin
Service puts it, care in an upw;
trend, and the business Quito
IL over the remainder of the Y,
lis at least gives promise of susta
o. ed profit expansion and widen
IL margins of dividend protectio
DIS Wall Street investors are chez
&C. by the increasing lumber of CT
e. panies that are adding to tt
Ir- payments to stockholders.
in Companies benefting by prod
ell ton for war preparations rate h
IS in stock popularity contests C
Quoted recently by the same 81
bo ional financial weekly" What t
aS designate as Americas favo
~ common stock investments"
~ shown by evaluation of W
of stocks are most likely to rise
he pay good returns to investors
~ the future, include Dupont, c
s eral Electric, International Nj,
H'' Controlling worlds supply vita
war;, Standard Oil of N. J., III
ION Carbide and Carbon, Allied Che
IN cal, U. S. Steel (preferred),
pc eral Motors, Continental Can, !
W. erisan Can, Westinghouse EleC
Chrysler, Texas Gulf Sulphur,
les by the increasing number of o
ned national Harvester, Dow Chem