Presidents -- United States -- Messages; United States -- Politics and government -- Sources
Indirectly the farmer must be relieved by a reduction of national and local
taxation. He must be assisted by the reorganization of the freight-rate
structure which could reduce charges on his production. To make this fully
effective there ought to be railroad consolidations. Cheaper fertilizers
must be provided.
He must have organization. His customer with whom he exchanges products o
he farm for those of industry is organized, labor is organized, business is
organized, and there is no way for agriculture to meet this unless it, too,
is organized. The acreage of wheat is too large. Unless we can meet the
world market at a profit, we must stop raising for export. Organization
would help to reduce acreage. Systems of cooperative marketing created by
the farmers themselves, supervised by competent management, without doubt
would be of assistance, but, the can not wholly solve the problem. Our
agricultural schools ought to have thorough courses in the theory of
organization and cooperative marketing.
Diversification is necessary. Those farmers who raise their living on their
land are not greatly in distress. Such loans as are wisely needed to assist
buying stock and other materials to start in this direction should be
financed through a Government agency as a temporary and emergency
expedient.
The remaining difficulty is the disposition of exportable wheat. I do not
favor the permanent interference of the Government in this problem. That
probably would increase the trouble by increasing production. But it seems
feasible to provide Government assistance to exports, and authority should
be given the War Finance Corporation to grant, in its discretion, the most
liberal terms of payment for fats and grains exported for the direct
benefit of the farm.
MUSCLE SHOALS
The Government is undertaking to develop a great water-power project known
as Muscle Shoals, on which it has expended many million dollars. The work
is still going on. Subject to the right to retake in time of war, I
recommend that this property with a location for auxiliary steam plant and
rights of way be sold. This would end the present burden of expense and
should return to the Treasury the largest price possible to secure.
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