The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969, 1943-02-05
F. E. BERGREN.

Rudyard, Mont, Jan. %, 1914
The Peoples Voice
Helena, Montana
Dear Editor:
I noticed in the January 18th issue
of "The Montana Farmer" under the
heading: Flight on Farm Tariffs"
Quote: "The immediate issue is ex
tension of the presidents power tc
make trade agreements with other
countries reducing tariffs so percent
-. THAT power will expire on June
IL unless it is renewed before that
time by congress" "The question
is being asked as to the facts about
what Secretary Hull has done to farm
tariffs. Here are some outstanding
cuts he has negotiated: He has cut
the tariff on canned beef from cents
to cents a pound. The tariffs on
cattle have been cut so per cent and
quotas removed for the duration The
flax rate of 65 cents a bushel is cut
so per cent for the duration and after
that will be so cents. Tariffs on sugar,
potatoes, coarse wool, vegetables, ap-
pies and grapefruit are cut. Rates on
cream, milk and feed wheat are re-
duced SO per cent" End quote.
Former secretary of agriculture, Mr.
Henry A. Wallace formed a committee
to write the 1910 Year Book This
committee was headed by M. L. Will
son as chairman and the tariff of the
BAE in the department of agriculture,
and about 70 people contributed to the
writing of this Yearbook, and there
are the names of some of the BAE
staff, F. F. Elliott, Edwards, Chester
Davis, Hazel Stiebling, Bean, Milo
Perkins, Howard Tolley, and the rest
of the bureau. The work was fin
ished under the direction of Mr.. Wick
ard.
quote the exact words from page
$40. Please check. Quote: after the
Civil War, the trend of grain exports
was upward until the turn of the cen
tury." Exports of meat and
meat products, which had been rela-
lively insignificant before the Vivil
lively insignificant before the Civil
War, soon came to rank third in i'm
portance. Their value rose from ap-
$37000,000 in 1865 to" :.
over $179,000,000 in 1900" "The |
results of these huge cereal and meat |
imports on European social and eco
lom1c life were of the most funda-
mental character. On the one hand,
he laboring classes in the cities were
provided with cheap and abundant
God. At the same time, however,
european farmers, unless protected
~ tariff barriers, were unable to COM
'ete, and many were ruined by de-
lining prices and falling land values.
treat Britain was our chief market,
nd with free trade prevailing after
he repeal of the corn laws in 1916,
gricutlure there suffered particular
y" Continental countries that
sizeable quantities of Amer
IAN foodstuffs suffered similarly. The
esults were mirrored partly in the
migration from Europe
eastward during the seventies and
lrmers to cities, and partly in the /
grarian movement that sought relief a
government policies" MANY e
lctors were responsible for this prec-
'itous decline. European govern y
ents, in an effort to aid their agri-
lltural classes, raised duties and i'm
osed embargoes on sanitary grounds,
J in the case of hog products" End
tote. Please check
AS agricultural production does Gre
e employment for the laboring G
asses, in the cities as well as on
e farm; because American agricul- Ct
re uses machinery, which is the b.
oduct of labor, it is obvious that by cl
porting competitive farm products, k
ough it may be cheaper, will result CT
unemployment and eventually in al
wering the laborers wage standards. M