The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1945-05-25
LOOKING
lX4 7 AAkAD
n BY GEORGE S. BENSON
kSstskIsA PresideNt--Harding college
Searry. Arkansas
China's Future

Farmers in the United States
made up 1870 of the whole nations
population back in 1920. That was
just halfway between the invention
of the iron pillow and the mechanical
reaper for small grain crops. Only
239o of our people live on farms
now. China still has the ''good old
days. if you like that kind. Some
300 of her people are farmers even
yet.
If an American farmers hired
man earned SOC a day In 1920 he
had to be a good one. The farmer
was not to blame. In order to pay
better wages he had to get better
prices for what his hired man pro-
duced, or manage some way for the
worker to produce more Even then
both developments had begun. The
pillow and the reaper improved farm
income and farm wages also.
Supply and Demand
Using improved machinery one
workman could do the work three
had done with crude tools, so two
O0t VI tlll &C lC1l Ill llCllQS eventually
quit the farm. Some of them went
to work at transportation, taking
farm products to cities where there
were quick markets. Others got jobs
in factories making desirable things
to sell to the farmers who, by this
time, had quite little money to
spend.
The two farm workers out of three
who left the farm did not quit using
farm products. Wherever they
worked they bought and consumed
farm produce, also made more prof
liable work for people in transpor-
tation. This is a simple outline of
the growth of American prosperity,
and it is rough sketch of what
must take place in China, starting
after the war, if China is to prosper.
A UnificatiOn Plan
High-brow students of political
economy talk about social, political
and economic unification of China"
Those are 35-cent words, trying to
say that China is all broken up and
needs to be made one. Nothing that
is broken can be welded again until
the pieces are brought close togeth-
er. China's dismembered parts need
to be brought close together; close
in time; close in spirit.
China already has everything
needed to live we'll: livestock and
grain, timber and fiber, coal and oil,
iron and copper. China has supply
and demand also-450 million people
anxious to earn more and live bet
ter. One trouble is, there are 800
million farmers when IL million
with good tools would be enough.
There is much other work to do:
ore to mine, timber to cut, roads
to build.
Hidden Treasures
Roads will bring the empires far
flung segments near in time. Bust
ness dealings will create mutual
confidence and make China's remote
tribes close in spirit. There is
money in the Orient-most of it hid
den, but it's there. More, much
more will come from other lands
dS SUOL DIS HlVSSIOIS ledTu OF the
empires rich resources and great
markets. Only fear of robbery and
fraud can keep it away.
These fears can be removed by
strong central government, able to
maintain order and security for in
vestment at home, and able to COM
mand the respect of other world
powers. Chang Kai-Shek has prom
ised these things for postwar years
and rebel rulers already are learn
ing to trust him and work with him.
The United States should help him,
for China is Americas natural ally
in the East, for mutual profit in
time of peace and mutual protec-
ton in time Of war.