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About The Ontario Argus. (Ontario, Or.) 1???-1947 | View Entire Issue (March 23, 1922)
ONTAKIO, OREGON, THURSDAY, ONTABIO, OREGON, THURSDAY. MARCH 23, 1922 u VALLEY VIEW Ilov. Martin of tha Nazarlno church will preach at the Bchool houso Sunday? Victor and Volmn Iiollslo vlsltod their grntulmothor, Mrs. A. II. Mc Gregor, Bund'ay. Mm. W. J. Shaffer vlsltod Mrs. Charles Johnson Tuesday aftornoon. Mrs. C. E. Amldon and Mrs. Poarl Crnno cnllod on Mrs. W. 0. Arm strong Monday., Mrs. 0. W. Dean who has bcon 111 (or nearly n month with tho flu Is still vory sick. Mr. nnd Mrs. Poarl ' Crnno and family visited with Mr. Cranes' brother In I'nyotto Sunday. Mrs. V. a. Armstrong' wns a guest at tho Crauo homo Tuosday ot last wook. Mrs. 11. D. Wood who has bcon lioro on business roturnod to Port land Sunday. Miss Lola noes was n guest at tho Armstrong homo over tho wook end. Lucllo Clomont, daughter ot Mr. and Mrs, Holdon Clemont was op erated on last Saturday at tho Holy Hosary llosplul (or nppomllcltls. ' Monday sho waB doing fine. Mr. nnd Mrs. Enrl Walters visited Mrs. Waltors paronts, Mr. nnd Mrs. W. 0. Armstrong Sunday aftornoon. Mrs. Chns. Johnson nnd hor mother, Mrs. Loloon, vlsltod tho tonchcrs at their cottago Monday evening. -Misses Margaret Orlfflii and Lois Halstcad dlnod nt tho W. J. Shaffer homo Monday ovonlng. Miss Lois Ilntcllffo ot Ontario Is - spondlng tho wook at tho A. F. Ilurr homo white Mrs. Ilurr Is still sick with tho flu. Mrs. C. M. Crall, County Buporln-U-ndnnt, vlsltod tho Valloy Vlow school houso Tucsdny (orenoon. Another pleasant surprise party Wns givon at tho W. 0. Uoos homo, Free Lecture First Church of.Christ, Scientist of Payette, Idaho Announces a free lecturo on Christian Science byWm. D. Kilpatrick, C. S. Bof Detroit, Mich. Member of tho Board 6f 'Lectureship of the Mother Church, tho First Church. of Christ, Scientist,' in Boston, Mass. At the EMMA THEATRE 3:30 p.m. Sunday, March 26, 1922 SOLDIERS LOANS ACCEPTED as first payment on choice low priced irrigated land free from alkali or acid. Good crop pro ducing stuff that has the backing of the Legion Land Committee are the only places we handle under this plan. Excellent water, climate, transportation facilities, etc. Good markets. Write now for full particulars. Redmond Land and Loan Co., Inc. In the heart of the famous -Deschutes Valley CHEVROLET SALES & SERVICE PHONE 6, PAYETTE, IDAHO A Carload Just Arrived 490 TOURING . F. B. TOURINGS . ONE TON TRUCK ' We carry a complete line of Chev rolet parts rind specialize on Chev rolet Cars Price 490 Touring $675 f. B. Touring $1185 P. 0. D. PAYETTE Van Motor Company L. Jj. GEAIUIEART A. J. VANDEItPOIU) PAYETTE, IDAHO ACCESSORIES, TIRES, TUBES, QAS AND OIL tho ccaBlon bolng Mrs. Hoca' birth day, and also tho birthday ot hor daughter Stolla and Mr. Penn. A vory elnborato dlnnor was sorved nnd a good tlmo enjoyed by nlL LOCAL PERSONALS J. A. l'henoy who linn a position In I'ocalollo spont tho wcokond with his family hero. Mrs. Copetand visited In Vnlo on. Tuosday. MIbs Etta McCrolght and Miss Laura Whorry spont tho weok end Vlsltrhg Miss Wherry's paronts In Ilolso. . r Lloyd Mcttao of Illvorslda'is visit ing In Ontario this week. 3. A. Krnsor's storo Is recolvlng a now coat ot paint and a gouoral spring houso dleanlng. Iko Iloblnotto ot Vale wns In On tario ovor Bunday, returning (rom Pnyotto whnro ho was looking Into tho baso ball situation. doorgo L. Pctroshok ot Wolsor vlsltod In Ontario Sunday. Pctroshok Is connected with tho Fruit Industry at Crystnl. 4 Tho John Mcdtvorn family, last wook purchased tho Paul Cayou homo, and havo Itcon moving In this weok. Mr. nnl Mrs. Cayou havo located In Kmmott. Mrs. llolan Btrutbors has roturnod (rom Uolso wharo sho bns bcon (or tho past year and has resumed hor position with Hndor Bros. Co. K. A. Allon and (nmlly spent Sun day visiting In Pnyotto. IIAI'TIHT CHURCH lllblo School, 10(00 a. m. At 11:00 a. in. Evnngollst II. A. Hlndorlck ot Portland, will begin tho Special Moetlngs. Sorvlces ovary night nt 7:30. Mr. Hlndorslck Is a singer as woll as a preacher, and you should bo at tho first sorvlco. Junior II. Y. P. U., 0:1C. m Some Aspects of the Farmers' Problems By BERNARD M. BARUCH (Reprinted from I Tliu wlioto rural world Is In n for mont of unrest, nnd thcro Is nn un paralleled volume nnd Intensity of do Icrmlni'il. If not nngry, protest, nnd nn omlnuiis swurmlng of occupational con ferences, Interest grouping, political movements nnd propngnndtt. Such n turmoil ennnot but nrrest our atten tion. Indeed, It demands our careful study and examination. It Is not like ly that six million nloof nnd ruggedly Independent men li'nvo come together nnd bnntlcd themselves Into active unions, societies, farm bureaus, and to forth, for no surtlclent cnusc. Investigation of tha subject conclu sively proves Hint, while there Is much overstatement of grievances nnd mis conception of remedies, tho fnrmers nro right In complaining of wrongs long endured, nnd right In holding thnt It Is feasible to rollovo their Ills with benefit to the rest of tho community. Tills being tho case of an Industry that contributes, In tho raw mnterlnl form alone, uhout one-third ot the na tional annual wcnlth production nnd Is the menna of livelihood of about -10 pur cent of tho population, It Is ob vious thnt the subject Is ono of grnvo concern. Not only do tha fnrmers mtiku up onohnlf ot tha notion, but tho well-being of tha other hnlf de pends upon them. So long its we have nations, a wlso pnlltclal economy will aim nt n lurgu degreo of national self-sulllclency nnd selrvontnlnment. Home fell when the footl supply wns too far removed from tha belly. Like her, we shnll destroy our own ngrlcultura nnd extant our sources of food distantly and precari ously, If wo do not see to It that our farmers nro well nnd fairly paid, fur their services. The farm gives the nation men ns well ns food. Cities dorlvo their vitality nnd arc forever renewed from tho country, but nn Im poverlshed countryside exports intelli gence nnd retains unlutelllgence. Only tha lower grades of mentality nnd chumctcr will remain on, or seek, tho farm, unless agriculture Is capable of being pursued with contentment nnd uMeqimto compensation. Hence, to em bitter nnd Impoverish tho furmer Is to dry up nnd contaminate the vital sources of tliu tintlon. The wnr showed convincingly how dependent tho nation Is on the full productivity of tho farms. Despite hcrculonn efforts, agricultural produc tion kept only a few weeks or months nlicud of consumption, and that only by Increasing tho acreage of certain staple crops at the cost of reducing that of othors. We ought not to for get that lesson tfhen we pender on tho fanner's problems. Tbsy are truly common problems, nnd there should be no attempt to deal with' thrm as If they wero purely selfish demands of a clear-cut group, antagonistic to tho rest of fcho community. Rather should wo consider agriculture In the light of broud national policy, Just us wo consider oil, coal, steel, dye stuffs, and so forth, as sinews of na il inal strength. Our growing popula tion nnd a higher standard of living demand Increasing food supplies, and more wool, cotton, tildes, and the rest. With the disappearance of free or cheap fertile land, additional acreage and Increased yields can come only from costly effort. This we need not expect from an Impoverished or un liappy rural population. It will not do to take a narrow view of tho rural discontent, or to appraise It from the standpoint of yesterday. This Is peculiarly an age of flux and change nnd new deals. Recause a thing always has been so no longer means that It Is righteous, or always shall be so More, perhaps, than ever before, there Is a widespread feeling that nil human relations ran be Im Im peoved: by taking thought, and that It la not becoming for the reasoning ani mal to leave his destlnj largely to chance and natural Incidence. Prudent and orderly adjustment of production and distribution In accord ance with consumption Is recognised ns wise management In every business but that of farming. Yet, I venture to say, there Is no other Industry In which It Is so Important to the pub licto the city-dweller that produc tion should be sure, steady, and In creasing, and that distribution should be In proportion to the need. The un organized fanners nnturally act blind ly and Impulsively and, In conse quence, surfeit and dearth, accompa nied by disconcerting price-variations, harass the consumer. One year pota toes rot In the fields because of excess production, and there Is a scarcity of tlie things thnt have been displaced to make way for the expnnklon of the potato acreage; next year the punish ed farmers mass their fields on some other crop, nnd potatoes enter th class of luxuries; and so on. Agriculture Is the greatest and fun damentally the tnost Important of our American Industries. The cities are. but the branches of the tree of na tional life, the roots of which go deep ly Into the land. We all flourish or decline with the furmer. So, when we of the cities read of the present uni versal distress of the farmers, ot a slump of six billion dollars In the farm irjye of their crop In a single year, Atlantic Monthly) of their Inability to meet mortgnges or to pay current bills, nnd how, seeking relief from their llli, they nro plnn nlng to form pools, Inaugurate farm ers' striken, nnd demand legislation abolishing grain exchnnges, private cuttlo markets, and the like, wc ought not hastily to brand them ns economic heretics and highwaymen, nnd hurl jit them the charge of being seekers of speclar privilege. Rather, we should ask If their trouble Is not ours, nnd sco what can be dono to Improve the sltuntlon. Purely from self-interest, If for no higher motive, we should help them. All of us want to get back permanently to "normalcy j" but Is It reasonable to hope for thnt condition unless our greatest nnd most basic In duntry can bo put on n sound nnd solid permanent foundation? The farmers nro not entitled to special privileges; but are they not right in demanding thnt they be placed on nn cqunl foot Ing with the buyers of their products and with Other Industries) II Let us, then, consider some of the farmer's grlcvnnccs, nnd see how far they aro real In doing so, wo should remombcr thnf, whllo thcro hnvc been, and Ht 111 nro, nstnnces of purposeful nbuse, the subject should nut bo ap proached with any general Imputation to existing distributive agencies of de liberately Intentional oppression, but rather with tho conception thnt the marketing of fann products has not been modernised. An nnclent evil, nnd n persistent one, Is tho undorgrndlng of fnrm prod ucts, with tho result Hint what the fnrmers sell as of ono quality Is re sold ns of n higher. Thnt this sort of chicanery should persist on any Im portant scnlo In these dnyi of bust nous Integrity would seem almost In credible, but thcro Is much evidence that It docs so persist. Even ns I write, tho newspapers announce the suspension of several firms from the New York Produco Exchnngo for CX; porting to flennnny as No. 2 wheat a wholo shipload of grossly Inferior wheat mixed with onts, chaff and the like. Another evil Is that of Inaccurate weighing of farm products, which, It Is chnrged, Is sometimes n matter of dlshont-st Intention and sometimes of protective policy on tho part of tho local buyer, who fenrs that ha tuny "weigh out" morn than ho "weighs In." A greater grievance Is that nt pres ent the field furmer has little or nn control over tho tlmo and conditions of marketing his products, with the result that ho Is .often underpaid for his products and usually overcharged for marketing service. The differ enett between what the farmer re ceives and what the consumer pnys often exceeds all possibility of Justi fication. To clto a single Illustration. m1 year, according to figures attest ed by Hie railways nnd the growers, Oeorgln wnterinoloo-ralsers received on the average 7.5 cents for a melon, the railroads got 12.7 cents for carry ing It to Ilaltlmore nnd the consumer paid one dollar, leaving 708 cents for the service of marketing and Its risks, as against 20.2 cents for growing and transporting. Tho hard annnls of farm-life are repleto with such com mentaries on the crudeness of pres ent practices. Nature prescribes that tho farmer's "loods" must be finished within two or three months of the jear, while financial and storage limitations gen erally compel him to sell them at the same time. As u rule, other Industries nre In a continuous process of finish Ing goods for the markets; they dls tribute as they pro. lure, nnd they can curtail production without too great Injury to themseUes or tl commu nity; but If the former restricts his output, It Is with disastrous conse quences, both tu himself and to the community. The average farmer Is busy with production for the major part of the year, and has nothing to sell. The bulk of bis output comes on the mar ket at once. Ilecni'se of lack of stor age facilities and of financial Bupport. the fanner cannot curry his goods through the year and dispose of them as they are currently needed. In the great majority of cases, farmers have to entrust storage In warehouses and elevators and the financial carrying of their products to others. Farm products are generally mar keted at a time when jhere Is a con gestion of both transportation and finance when cars and money are scarce. The outcome, In many In stances, Is that the farmers not only sell under pressure, -and therefore at a disadvantage, but are. compelled to take further reductions In net returns, In order to meet the charges for the service of storing, transporting, financ ing, and ultimate marketing--which charges they claim, are often exces sive, bear heavily on both consumer and producer, and are under the con trol of those performing the services It Is true that they are relieved of the risks of a changing market by Mlllsg at once ; but they are quite will Ing to take the unfavorable chance, If the fnvorablo one nlso Is theirs and they enn retain for themselves n part of the service charges that nre uni form, In good years and bad, with high prices nnd low. While, In tho mnln, the farmer must sell, rcgnrdless of mnrket conditions, nt the time ot the maturity of crops, he cannot suspend production In toto. lie must go on producing If ho Is to go on living, nnd If tho world Is to exist. The most ho can do 9 to curtail pro duction n little or niter Its form, and Hint because ho Is In the dark as to tho probable demand for his goods may bo only to Jump from tho frying pan Into tha fire, taking tho consumer with htm. Even the dnlry fnrmers, whoso out put Is not scnsonnl, complain Hint they find themselves nt n disadvantage In tho mnrketlng of their productions, especlnlly raw milk, becnuso of the high costs of distribution, which they must ultlmntoty benr. Ill Now thnt tho farmers nre stirring, thinking, nnd uniting as never before to crndlcnto theso Inequalities, they nre subjected to stern economic lec tures, nnd nre met with the accusation that they are demanding, nnd nre the recipients of, spcdnl privileges. Let us see what privileges the government tins conferred on tha farmers. Much has been mode of Section 0 ot the Clayton Anti-Trust Act, which pur ported to permit them to combine with Immunity, under ccrtnln conditions. Admitting Hint, nominally, this ex emption wns In tho nature ot n special privilege, though I think It wns so In nppenmnco rather than In fnct, we find thnt tip courts have nullified It by JudlclnJ Interpretation. Why should not tho fnrmers bo permitted to ac complish by cooperative methods whnt other businesses nro already doing by co-operation In the form of Incorpora tion) If It be proper for men to form, by fusion of existing corporations or otherwise a corporation that controls tho cntlroproductIon ot a commodity, or n largo part of It, why Is It not proper for n group of farmers to unite for tho marketing of their common products, either In one or In several selling ngcnclosT Why should It be right for n hundred thousnnd corporate shareholders to direct 23 or 00 or -10 per cent of an Industry, nnd wrong for n hundred thousand co-operative farmers to control it no larger propor tion of tho wheat crop, or cotton, or any other product? Tho Department ot Agriculture Is often spoken of at a special concession to the furmers, but In Its commercial results, It Is of as much benefit to the buyers and consumers of agricultural products as to the producers, or even more. I do not suppose that anyone opposes the benefits that the farmers derive from the educstlonal and re search work of tho department, or the help Hint It gives them In working out Improved cultural methods nnd prac tices, In developing better yielding va rieties through breeding and selection, In Introducing new varieties from re mote parts of the world and adapting them to our cllmnto nnd economic con dition, nnd In devising practical mens ures for the elimination or control of dangerous and destructive nnlmul and plant diseases, Ins-Kt pests, nnd the like. All theso things manifestly tend to stimulate nnd enlarge production, and their general beneficial effects are obvious. It Is complained that, whereas the law restricts Federal Reserve banks to three months' time for commercial -paper, me runner is miowi-u "months on his notes, This Is not a special privilege, but merely such a recognition of business conditions as makes It possible for country banks to do business with country people The crop farmer has only one turn over n year, whllo the merchant and manufacturer h'uvo many. Incidental ly, I note that the Federal Reserve Hoard has Just nuthorlzed the Fed eral Reserve bunks to discount export paper for a period of six mouths, to conform to the nature of the busi ness. The Fann Loan banks are pointed to as nn Instanco of special govern ment favor for farmers. Are they not rathor the outcome of laudable efforts to equalise rural and urban condi tions) And about nil the government does there Is to help set up an ad ministrative organization and lend a little credit at the start. Eventually the farmers will provide all the capi tal and carry all the liabilities them selves. It Is truo that Furm Loan bonds are tax exempt; but so are bonds of municipal light and traction plants, and new housing Is to bo ex empt from taxation, In New York, for ten years. On the other hand, the farmer reads of plans for municipal housing proj ects that run Into the billions, ot hun dreds of millions annually spent on the merchant marine; he reads that the railways are being favored with increased rates and ylrtual guaranties of earnings by the government, with the result to htm ot an 'ncreosed toll on all that he sells and all that he buys. He hears ot many manifesta tions of governmental concern for par ticular Industries and Interests. Res cuing tho railways from Insolvency li undoubtedly for the benefit of the country as a whole, but what can be of more general benefit than encour agement of ample production of the principal necessaries of life and their even flow from contented producers to satisfied consumers) While It may be conceded that special governmental aid may be nec essary In the general Interest, we must all agree that It is difficult to see why agriculture and the production and dls trlbutlon of fann products aro not ac corded the same opportunities that are provided for other businesses; espe cially as the enjoyment by the farmei of such opportunities would appear tc b area more contributory to tha eq eral good than In tho case of other 'industries. The spirit of Amerlcnn democracy Is unalterably opposed, alike to enacted special privilege and to the special privilege of unequal op portunity that arises automatically from the failure to correct glaring economic Inequalities. I am opposed to the Injection of government Into business, but I do bellevo that It Is nn essential function of democratic gov ernment to equalize oppnrfailty so for ns It Is within Its power to do -bo, whether by tho repeal of archaic statutes or the enactment of modern ones, if tho anti-trust laws keep tho farmers from cndenvorlng scientifically to Integrate their Indtatry whllo other Industries find n wny to meet modern conditions without violating such stat utes, then It would seem reasonable to find n wny for tho fnrmers to meet them under tha snino conditions. Tho law should opcrnto equally In fnct. Re pairing the economic structure on ono sldo Is no Injustice to tho other side, which Is In good repair. Wo hnve traveled a long wny from tho otd conception of government ns merely n defensive and policing ngency; nnd regulative, corrective, or equaliz ing IfRlslatlon, which apparently Is ot n speclnl nature. Is often of the most general beneficial consequences. Even tho First Congress pnsicd a tariff net thnt was nvowedly for the protection of manufacturers,; but n protoctlvo tariff always has been defended ns a means of promoting tho general good through n particular approach; nnd the statute books nro filled with nets for tho benefit of shipping, commerce, nnd labor, IV Now, what Is tho farmer asking) Without trying to cntnloguc tho re medial mensures that havo been sug gested In tils behalf, Hi principal pro posals Hint benr directly on tho Im provement of his distributing nnd mar keting relations mny bo summnrlzcd ni follews: First: storngo warehouses for cot ton, wool, nnd tobacco, .nnd clovntors for grain, of sufficient enpnetty to meet the maximum demand on them nt tho peak, of the marketing period, Tho fanner thinks thnt cither private capi tal must furnish these facilities, or the state must erect and own tho eleva tors nnd warehouse. Secend: weighing nnd grading of agricultural products, and certification thereof, In bo dono by Impartial nnd disinterested public Inspectors (this Is already accomplished to some extent by tho federul licensing of weighers nnd graders), to eliminate underpay ing, overcharging, and unfair grading, nnd to -facilitate the utilization of the stored products ns the bssls of credit. Third: a certainty of credit aufllclent to enablo tho marketing of products In an orderly manner. Feurth: the Department of Agricul ture should collect, tabulate, summa rize, and regularly nnd frequently pub lish and distribute to the fanners, full Information from all the markets of the world, so that they shall be as well Informed of ,thclr selling position as buyers now are of their buying posi tion. Fifth : freedom to Integrate the busi ness of ngrlculture by means of con solidated selling ngoncles, co-ordinat ing nnd co-operating In such way as to put the farmer on an equal footing with Hie large buyers of his products, and with commercial relations In other Industries. When a business requires specialized taltnt, It has to buy It. Ho will the farmers; and perhaps the best way for them to got It would be to utilize soma of the. present machinery of tha larg est established agencies dealing In farm products. Of course, If he wishes, the farmer may go further and engage In flour-milling nnd other manufactures of food products. In my opinion, however, he would be wise to stop short of that. Public Interest may be opposed to all great Integrations; but, In Justice, should they be forbidden to tho farmer "and permitted to others) The corporate form of association can not now be wholly adapted to his ob jects and conditions. The looser co operative form seems more generally sultabls. Therefore, he wishes to b free, If ha finds It desirable and feas ible, to resort to co-operation with his fsllows and neighbors, without run ning afoul of the law. To urgt that the fanners should have the same lib erty to consolidate and co-ordinate their peculiar economic functions, which other Industries In their fields enjoy, Is not, howerer, to concede that any business Integration should have legislative sanction to exercise monop olistic power. The American people are as firmly opposed to Industrial as to political autocracy, whether at tempted by rural or by urban Industry, For lack of united effort the farmers as a whole are still marketing their crops by antiquated methods, or by no methods at all, but they are surrounded by a business world that has been modernized to thj last minute and Is tirelessly striving for efficiency. This efficiency Is due In large measure to big business, to united business, to In tegrated business. The farmers now seek the benefits of such largeness, un ion and Integration. The American farmer Is a modern of Hie moderns In the use of labor saving machinery, and he has made vast strides In recent years la scientific tillage and efficient farm management, but as a business tn contact with other businesses aglrculture Is a "one borss shay" In competition with high power automobiles. The American firmer U tb greatest and most Intractable of Individualists. While Industrial pro duction and all phases of the huge com mercial mechanism and Its myriad ac cessories have articulated and co-ordinated themselves all the way from nat ural raw materials to retail sales, the business of agriculture has gone on in much the one man fashion of the back woods of tho first part of the nine tstnth, centurv. when the farmer was (Continued on Page Six 4 s