Evening star., 1939-01-01

to do with peoples eating habits. II
people were educated to diet that would
contain the right amount Of the various
mineral elements and be best for their
health, they would demand greatly in
creased quantities of these products. The
other 'if" has to do with consumer in
comes If the national income were in
the neighborhood of 100000 900 100 and
the incomes OF our factory workers and
other similar groups were correspond
ingly increased, people could afford to
buy these farm products which now
come in the semi-luxury class.
In the absence of export markets big
enough to take our exportable surplus
of wheat and cotton, 1t would be folly
for our farmers to go on wasting their
soil and their labor to get peak produc-
ton of the export crops. And in the
absence of consumer desire and buying
power for all that our farmers can pro-
duce of livestock products and fruits and
vegetables, farmers simply cannot afford
to waste their soil and their labor to
turn out peak production of these COM
modities that are almost entirely con-
sumed at home.
That is why farmers have called on
their Government to assist them in
carrying out national farm program
in which they can conserve their SOIL
protect consumer supplies with an ever
normal granary and safeguard their own
incomes when the granary overflows.
Adjustments Must BE Made.
That is why farmers look hopefully
to business and labor. They hope that
agriculture, business and labor can join
together with each other and with the
Government to work out the adjustments
that need to be made in the rest of our
national economy. They hope that
somehow the ample supplies of currency
in circulation and the ample bank de-
posits can be made to move faster, so
as to put to use idle labor, idle machines
and idle money. They hope business
will regain its courage and gradually
replace Government as the source OF
the capital flow that is essential if our
business machine is to function as it
should.
They hope the construction industry
can make further gains, and that human
energy can be diverted from production
Of the things that are not needed-lke
surplus wheat and cotton-to produc-
ton of the new houses that are needed.
They hope all policies of business, labor
and government, as we'll as of agricul-
ture, can be tested in the light of the
effect of these policies on the national
income
At the present time, as I have said,
the national income is rising once more
as business activity increases Prophecy
is always risky. and shall not attempt
to forecast how far the present rise will
60 or how long it will continue. But,
unless We as a Nation-unless we as
farm organizations, as labor unions, ano
as chambers of commerce and trade
associations with each other
and with our public servants in the Gov
ernment to make our separate policies
fit together into co-ordinated whole.
then the present improvement will be all
too short lived.
Income Key to Problem.
We as Nation need, first of all, in
creased income. Many of the problems
which now seem so bafling-the prob
lem of unemployment and relief in our
great cities, the problem of the dust
bowl refugees in the Far West, the
problem of the sharecroppers and farm
labor in the South-these and other
problems would melt away if our busi.
ness machine were functioning in sucl
way as to provide ample opportuni-
ties for all our people
But to get that increased income, and
to keep it continuing year after year.
all our groups will have to keep the
general welfare at the forefront of their
thoughts. They will have to think less
about squabbling over division of the
limited supply of the good things of
life available now, and more about hav
ing an increased supply of these things
to divide.
II our democracy is to be stronp
enough to resist the tides of hate and
brutality that are sweeping the world,
we must reconcile our differences here
at nome. AS farmers, as factory workers
as housewives, as business and profess
slonal people We must seek to under
stand the other fellows thoughts and
needs, and modify our own demands in
the light of the welfare of all. That
should be our New Year resolution for
1899.
(Copyrirht 1Q2o)