The Nonpartisan Leader Newspaper, September 9, 1918, Page 5

& e BN . Here you see your Uncle Sam If there ié anything ybu labor, draft or other orders, T HE government regulations of the food supply and other matters. affecting farmers have grown like Jonah’s gourd. In war- time, . when farm production becomes all-impor- tant, when every possible ounce of food must be obtained, we had to get ‘away from the old hit-and-miss meth- ods. Organized farmers at the be- ginning of the war went on record against waste, special privilege and profiteering in the food supply of the nation. tions are, therefore, in a special sense our regulations; we criticize, not the regulations, but the fact that they do - not go far enough in removing profi- teering in farmers’ supplies and the bad methods of our ma_rketing system. VICIOUS USES OF REGULATION BECAUSE the farmers are not so well posted as they might be on the government regulations, the anti- farmer interests have frequently used them as weapons to harass the farm- ers.- They make a great deal of noise over finding some farmer who, through lack of knowledge, is guilty of some technical violation of new regulatipns, and in some localities the regulations are given strange and fan- - tastic interpretations. . ' The regulations are designed to in- crease the nation’s food supply and - not at all to promote the ambitions of local politicians. FARMERS NOT OBJECR OF REGULATION A.MOST noteworthy feature of the “government regulations so far is the fact that the so-called efficient American business is brought to book _ rather than the farmer. The war has called the efficiency bluff of special interest publicity agents pretty ef- fectively. It-is the packing trust, not the farmer, the harvester trust and not the man who buys the ma- _chine for his farm, the grain com- bine and not the grain raiser, the ' middleman and not the producer of farm products, that the government is watching and regulating. This public .recognition of where the blame lies is' bitter medicine for the anti-farmer gang. TWO GEN ERATIONS OF NEGLECT AT THE time of our entry into the war our government was faced " with the problem .of overcoming at once two, generations of gross neg- lect of our markets for foodstuffs. If the farmer’s voice had been heard in . legislative halls for the last 25 years we would have been much better pre- ‘pared. For this unfortunate condi- tion the farmer himself is partly to - blame, but his fault lay in ‘trusting others to do things right instead of - trol, and are going about These government regula-\' urning bad eir business in'a very well has never done. puzzle the farmers. organizing to have something to say himself. &To the anti-farmer inter- ests belong the major part of the re- sponsibility for our wretched mar- keting methods, and to them the gov- - ernment has applied the much needed whip of regulation. gt is not surpris- ing that the-whipped curs, who had had their own way for so long, should be snapping and barking at the or- ganized farmers who have supported the government and are urging fur- their. regulation and state ownership. LET FARMERS DO A LITTLE p REGULATING HEN the farmer finds any one wasting or violating any of the government regula- “tions, he should report the fact to the proper officials. If the ele- vators are not paying the govern- ment price for the grain; if the stockyard interests violate the rules; if the local dealers appear to be overcharging on regulated commodities, such as farm imple- ments, the farmers can help the government by reporting the same. PROHIBITS DECEPTIVE DEALING ENERAL regulations under which stockyards will operate, “provide against extortionate or excessive charges for yardage and commission; require stockyards to maintain ade- quate facilities for handling livestock offered ‘by stockmen, including labor, . feed and water; and prohibit unfair dealing, combination or deceptive practices in buying and selling live- stock. THE CIRCULATING OF MIS- LEADING MARKET INFORMA- TION TENDING ' TO AFFECT PRICES IS ALSO COVERED BY THE REGULATIONS.” \ These middlemen have to take out licenses- which the government can withdraw as one method of punishing D S ] - m.{’f% BY A. B. don’t understand about the food, fuel, wheat, write to the Leader and it will be made plain. GREAT many newspaper editors boast that they throw the government publicity matter from Wash- ington into their wastebaskets. This the Leader Under the heading, “From Offi- cial Reports,” such matters as affect or interest the farmers of the Northwest have been given full space in this magazine. Now, to make this service more practical, the Leader begins in this issue a new department, in which an expert will answer any question about regulations that may/ The editor of this department will be A. B. Gilbert, who long has been a regular contributor to the Leader. Mr. Gilbert, in addition to writing on farm topics, is the author of “American Cities; Their Methods of Business.” Any farmer who ‘addresses a letter to him, at the Leader’s postoffice box, 575, St. Paul, Minn., will be sure of a careful and informative solution of his problem. N w%’”% ‘Ié////// K I/%A 7 % m, GILBERT the guilty. It is doubtful, however, whether the government can accom- plish much by this regulation because the big stockyard evils spring from monopoly ownership. THE REAL REMEDY IS TO TAKE THE OWN- ERSHIP AWAY AS NEARLY ALL EUROPEAN- COUNTRIES HAVE DONE. STANDARDIZATION OF FARM MACHINERY HY not standardize the common types of farm machinery .so that the farmer can get repairs more easily than now? Such a move would enable the local dealers to maintain a stock of repair parts to fit any of the standardized machines. In a few years it would be as easy to get re- pairs for a binder or a discing ma- ‘chine as it is now to get new parts for a Ford car. The only argument against standardization is that some manufacturers would be put to a little trouble .in changing patterns and probably a few machines. The new farm implement administration may push the plan if there appears to be sufficient’ popular demand. ; ORGANIZATION OF FOOD ADMINISTRATION THE food administration really in- cludes every one in the United States, for every loyal citizen must_ help in this important work—better production, distribution, conservation, ‘understanding as the means of win- ning the war. "Soon after the presi- dent appointed Mr. Hoover as chief food administrator. for the United States, different departments or di- visions were built up to handle each important group of food products, such as the milling division, the grain corporation, and the sugar adminis- " tration. These divisions have staffs of their own and work in close co- le boys into good ones. The railroads, the telegraphs and telephones have been disciplined b ’ _ : v behaved manner. The packers are now getting theirs. See the others lining up for their :sp,an‘king!v i : . PAGE FIVE S . s : operation with the other departments of the government, such as the depart- ment of agriculture and the railroad administration. The federal food administration is represented in each state by a local administrator, and he in turn appoints a food administrator for each county. Like the federal food -administration, each state administration has its di- visions or departments with paid and voluntary workers. Each county administrator then picks a committee to work with him, made up of one representative from each of the following occupations: farming (generally the county agent), local merchandising, housekeeping, hotels and restaurants, school teach- ing, ministry and the. press. Each member of this committee is supposed to look after his particular field. Food workers of the entire county are called together occasionally for conference and instruction in food service. NO NEW WHEAT RULES YET O REGULATIONS have been made by the food administration on the manner or time of marketing the 1918 wheat crop. As a conse- ‘quence any individual having wheat, raised this year, may market or keep the wheat, just as he desires. The same applies to all other cereal crops and, for the present at least, the holder of grains grown this year is permitted the same privileges with regard to marketing as he has en- joyed in normal times.—MINNESOTA OFFICIAL FOOD NEWS. ITH the establishment during July of fair prices for mill feeds, which licensed millers and dealers can not exceed without penalty, the mill feed market became practically as -stable and definite as that of wheat. Delayed orders will not insure a sav- ing,” says the food administration. It urges that, so far as possible, the " winter stocks of mill feeds be laid in shortly after the first part of Sep- tember to relieve the winter conges- tion of the railroads by so much. ACH invoice of the mill must have printed on it the “fair prices.” Consequently ‘it is very easy for any * representatives of the: food adminis- “tration or for any buyer -to know whether a mill has overcharged. THE international sugar commission took stock of the sugar on hand, stibtracted allied requirements and al- lotted America her share, then the food.administration counted noses and announced two pounds per. for our folks. Has anybody a better plan?— - " FOOD ADMINISTRATION. Ji ‘government con