Muncie Post-Democrat, Muncie, Delaware County, 19 May 1922 — Page 3

FRIDAY, MAY 19, 1922.

MSS 8

NEWS OF THE FINANCIAL AND INDUSTRIAL WORLD

GLACIER HITS VILLAGES Innsbruck—Two villlag-cs fui ( 'the Tyrolean Alps were struck by a moving glacier and, partly destroyed.

RUMORS OF ARAB WAR Cario—Reports received here state that two Arab tribes have declared war on the Zionists of Palestine.

Further improvement in underlying I conditions during the past week has ! largely offset some discouraging elements in the foreign situation. The agricultural prospects as announced by the Government on Wednesday are decidedly hopeful. Some abandoned acreage is being replanted, and the condition of the grain crops is increasingly favorable. Industrially, the advance already scored is being bettered. An increase of 600,00 tons in the unfilled tonnage report of United States Steel, and confirmation of the fact that fully 75 per cent of capacity is now at work in the industry combines with rather better prices to make the outlook decidedly more hopeful even than in the recent past, i Business condition reports from throughout the country show steady betterment in all lines. Two Sides To Foreign Developments While it must be admitted that the developments at Genoa have not been very satisfactory, and while delays and discouragements there are cited by some as a reason for market reaction, leading to sales of stocks by foreigners, this factor in our own financial conditions is not a very important one, directly speaking. On the other hand, the fair prospect of a reconstruction loan to be made by the Allies to Russia holds out hope of improvement in that country which has not been possible heretofore, particularly as the making! of the loan is conditional upon the acceptance of j reasonable conditions regarding resnect for foreign rights and similar matters on the part of the Russians. Arrangements for the international banking co: f erences are proceeding favorably, while denial of reports concerning a break in the Entente show that the prospects for the Reparations Conference to occur at the end of this month are by no means as gloomy as they have been represented by some. Railroad Prospects Confirmed Further reports concerning the earn ings of Class I railroads during May confirm the hopeful expectations which had been entertained with regard to the condition of the carriers. The fact that President Harding has i summoned a general railroad confer- i ence for May 20 is not believed to | have any necessary bearing upon the | rate situation, but even if it had would point to the belief that the Administration was proceeding cautiously in its handling of the situation, and was consulting the roads’ interests to a 1 reasonable degree. Undoubtedly, the j improvement in the condition of the ! lines is a helpful factor in present : conditions which the Administration j would very greatly hesitate to dis- i turb. Meanwhile, the successful progress of the New Haven negotiations regarding the refinancing of the obligations of that line, and the very much better attitude of the public with respect to railroad securities general- ( ly has proven highly encouraging to the rank and file of investors who . have been holding tightly to their J transportation securities. Industrial Conditions Improving General industrial conditions, as distinct from the position of individual companies or industries, are undoubtedly much better. There is every reason to expect a settlement of the coal strike within a limited period, while the production of nonunion districts is increasing! in the j meantime, and the effect of the strike to date has been far less than had been expected. Adjustment of strikes in the textile regions is now predicted as an incident of the next two

Farm Bureau Head Talks on Farmer and Roads

Don’t Go to Great Auto Derby If You Must Have Pet Worries

Address of Murray D. Lincoln Heard With interest At State Automobile Convention—Gives Interesting Statistics

Editor’s Note: The following is the speech made by Murray D. Lincoln, head of the Farm Bureau Federation, at the banquet the first night of the state automobile convention in Columbus. It was sent as a special article for this paper.

TNDIANAPOLIS, IND. — If you’ll J- watch the crowd at the Intcrternational 500-mile race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedv/ay, Tuesday, May 30, you’ll see some mighty interesting things. People climb on top of costly automobiles, sedate women point, children hang to barbed wire fences, never murmuring, while men jostle their way through dense throngs of humanity—all to have a better look

at the best drivers and cars of Europe and America flash their way to victory and fame or defeat. There is an Pminent phycholcgisi who attends the race every year, watching the crowd and taking pictures. He never even gazes trackward, but he is the one exception. For everybody else wants to be near the track—and-on it if possible.

weeks, and seems certain to occur at an early date in any event. With the enlargement of industrial operations, there has been a marked decline in the amount of unemployment, while, generally speaking, the advance in demand for goods as reflected by wholesale and retail trade indexes has been an improveing one. It is these conditions which lay the foundation for the hopeful views expressed by the council of the American Banker’s Association in itsj recent session at White Sulphur Springs. Political Conditions More Favorable Favorable indications have also been furnished during the week as regards political conditions. The effort to enlist President Hardingfs support in behalf of the pending bonus measures is credibly reported to have been unsuccessful, the President regarding the movement as .only, in a minor way representing the desire of the soldier element. There are also rather better indications as respects nate duties to which severe objection the tariff, changes designed to elimihas been taken now being-) apparently more or less certain to be introduced before the close of the Senate debate. Market Review and Outlook While demand for stocks has been lighter during the - past week, and prices lower, there has been no great pressure to sell. The break in some new listings which still lack standing has eliminated many weak spots, and has also acted as a warning against indiscriminate buying without regard

to real merit. At the close of the week the market presented a better appearance due to merger talk of the independent steels, but the important financial interests which successfully distributed a portion of their holdings a couple of weeks ago at higth prices show no great desire to load up again at the present time. This attitude is not due to a want of confidence in trade conditions, as the rapid recovery in steel and iron and other lines has bean much more than could reasonably have been expected a few months ago; and added 5 to this, of course, is the encouraging money situation, which, so far as can now be foreseen, is likely to be one of. ease for a long, time ahead. The market’s present action, therefore, has nothing to do with underlying conditions, which as a whole are now really good, but is entirely due to the liquidation which has taken place and which has momentarily somewhat overburdened the public at large, who have recently been buyers on an extended scale. It will be seen, therefore, that it is only the technical side of the market that can be criticised and this is now in the process of correcting itself. So far as the merger of the independent steels is concerned, that is imnortant and sooner or later will exert its proper influence on the shares of the companies interested, but at the moment something) more than this is required to bring back the market enthusiasm which was such a pronounced feature two weeks ago.

THE FARMER, THE AUTOIST AND GOOD ROADS Representing, as you do, 75,000 motorists of this great state, you are naturally interested in the subject of roads, since next to the efficiency of the machine you drive, the road over which you travel is probably of most

imnortance.

That the farmer is interested in roads goes without saying, for 1 imagine your membership contains many of our farmer folk, and there is perhaps no business man who depends on roads to the same extent as one of the main arteries of commerce. Further than that, as the farmer has most of his property in very tangible form and therefore is always on the tax duplicate, he is extremely interested from the standpoint of the taxes paid that go to pay the cost of construction and help maintain our

hio-hways.

Just how much the farmer pays toward the total cost of road building is somewhat of a disputed question. The American Highway' Educational Bureaus states that 67% of the road building and maintenance capital comes from the city, leaving only 33% from the farms. That this proportion undoubtedly does exist as concerns the Federal and State aid which is applied to the building of highways is not disputed, but this aid is only a part of the total cost. County, Township and abutting property owners pay the larger share, and considered from this standpoint, figures show that the farmers pay on the average

59% and the city 41%

goes into the matter and finds out the real facts, the more he is apparently gping to be up in arms. Granted that on a few of the main truck highways, hard-surfaced reads are necessary in order to carry the traffic, you can readily see that it is going to be entirely impracticable to hard-surface all the 81,000 miles of road in Ohio. This leaves only two

ways open then.

First, there must be some cheaper form of surfacing for the great bulk of the roads, and proper maintenance or patrol must be worked out. Second, while it may seem rather revolutionary, it appears to us that there must be some classification of roads according to the construction, and that the traffic must be limited according to this classification. Under the first, it is obvious' that v/e must use local material to whatever extent it is possible in order that the expenditure of dollars on roads may be made as efficient as possible. Steps should be taken to work oat some patrol system such as has proved so satisfactory in many other states. This patrol system is not an untried scheme. We have ir, Clark Count,* and in Franklin, a svstem that is working out very satisfactorily. Perhaps more than anything else this patrol is uppermost in every farmer’s mind as a way out of our difficulties and as a solution to get some improvements on the roads which the vast majority must travel. The patrol system, however, is equally imporant on the so-called better type roads, and perhaps it n needed here even more than on the gravel and stone roads, since the investment in such a road is much heavier than on the gravel or dirt road. Any type of road needs adequate maintenance. The third thing needed is earful limitation of the loads and speeds of the vehicles which travel over the highways. The fourth thing is proper drainage. Professor Eno, prominent engineering authority at the State Experiment Station, says that 75% of the failure of Ohio’s roads to hold up was due to faulty drainage. In other words, % of the

These pro-

portions, however, do not fit all coun-

th ™ dist f net,y ™\ al ’ failure* Ties^'not'Tn but

count.es 80% more .s probably rathsr . in the part o( the roads tha[

paid by the farmers or the rural

property in that county.

The annual report of the Ohio Good Roads Federation lists the total highway mileage as 84,497. This mileage

is divided as follows:

Brick 1,223 miles Concrete 1,034 miles Asphalt 69 miles Stone 9,866 miles Macadam 6,930 miles Gravel 15,740 miles Cinder 275 miles Earth 49,357 miles That a large proportion of the farmers are interested in good roads is amply testified to by the fact that

is not visible, the part the engineer planning the road is paid to watch, and as in medical practice, prevention is to be desired rather than cure. The automobile truck is undoubtedly here to stay, and it presents a very serious proposition. Here is a case of a few individuals profiting individually at the expense of a large number of others, since they are traveling on I’oads provided for them. We are witnessing) railroads and trolley systems going into bankruptcy which have bought their right of way, have to maintain it, and are paying taxes on it at 100% valuation. Yet the

over 'one-half of the roads are still, truck nowhere near pays sufficient

taxes to maintain the surface over which it runs and repair the damages, let alone contribute towards the investment cost. That the limitation of loads and speeds must be brought about is obvious, although we say this fully aware of the inconvenience

common earth roads, which means that a large proportion of our farmers are still in the mud. In fact % of the farmers live in these roads. Representing as we do 100,000 farmers, the Ohio Farm Bureau Federation along with the other farm or-

ganizations, is primarily interested I ^ 1 1 ^. W1 „ a r, in sor1 ? 3 cases, in not only getting more hard sur-1 f c * us ^ 0 , SS j ^. ai see ,’ .however, faced oads, but perhaps of greater l10w l an yhody can justify asking large interest and concern to us is the im- ! °f people who are not prontprovement of those 499,000 miles of in ^ ,P. a y , ar , e upkeep of roads

earth roads. Over these roads come the main bulk of the food produced in this state, a very small proportion of which can be marketed on foot. So anything that can be done to lessen the cost of marketing these food products, which will certainly be accomplished if we improve the road beds, is a thing to which the best

over which the trucks travel. The main trunk roadbeds of our big railroads are always of heavy construct ; on and more adequately ballasted than are those on the branch lines, and the heavy locomotives used co haul transcontinental freight are not used for pulling the local freight into a town on a branch line. Seemingly,

thought of both city and rural folks. l' nen - it is logic to confine the heavy ought to be directed. That some | ticking to die more heavily conchange must be made is obvious. The st^cted highways and to limit the thought often comes to us rural folks 1 ]° ac * s an , ^ le ,?^ ler 1 3- A 5 , to th e ( I C ~ that much time and study has been I " ai s .j aow tms should be done, we put on the development of a few miles should secure the support of the vast

of hard-surfaced roads which are in the main used for pleasure or trucking to the neglect of the great mass

of earth roads.

Do not misunderstand me. Everyone of us who drives an automobile, and

majority of automobilists in working

this out.

There is another question in regard to this matter which needs some attention. That is the practice of the highway authorities to issue bonds

J c> u e n e v's END

/ The first motor bus caravan, organized to carry passengers from the Great Lakes to the Gulf of Mexico, recently completed a 1,1S7 mile jaunt from Chicago to New Orleans. The caravan, which was in charge of the T. & S. Tours Company, of Chicago, consisted of thirty passengers and three White motor busses of the type used in the national parks. The tour, known as the Dixie Motor Bus caravan, traversed the Dixie highway from Chicago to Louisville, the Jackson highway from Louisville to Meridian, Miss., and the Mississippi Valley route from Meridian to New Orleans. The caravan made the long trip in a leisurely manner, utilizing in

| all 13 days, so as to give the pas-1 to mar the pleasure of the journey, j sengers an opportunity to view the j Only one tire change was necessary I scenic splendors en route, meet peo- j and that was made at a luncheon j pie along the way and participate j stop. The actual running time of in welcoming fetes tendered the | the busses was 68 1-8- hours and pioneers in long distance motor bus! their average speed 17 3-4 miles per travel by the hospitable folk of the hour. They covered -U miles.a day.

South. Night stops were made at Danville. 111.; Columbus, Ind.; Louisville, Ky.; Cave City, Ky.; Bowling Green, Ky.; Nashville, Tenn.; Florence, Aia.; Hamilton, Ala.; Columbus, Miss.; Meridian, Miss.; Hattiesburg, Miss., and Bogalusa,' La. The Motor Club of Louisiana sent a delegation of its members to Slidell to welcome the tourists and conduct the party on to New

Orleans.

There was no mechanical trouble

The roads-encountered were, for the most part, good, the tour recalling vividly the substantial progress made- in highway construction throughout the South in the ia:t few years and particularly in Tennessee, Alabama. Mlssiss ; ppi and

Louisiana.

The passengers, including n dozen women, were delighted with the trip, and are now thorougniy convinced that Lus travel affords the ideal mode for “Seeing Americr,

First.”

happily there are many farmers who ! far excess of the actual road cost, now enjoy the pleasure, is interested I Engineers make the estimates which, in having all the hard-surfaced roads | of course, are on the basis of cost of that we can possibly afford to build.! the highest type of road. That leaves But as a farm organization, thinking a difference which generally gpes mainly in terms of the marketing of 1 tack into the sinking fund. Here is farm products, we cannot be blamed an example. A section of intercoun-

ty highway No. 23 in Franklin County. Figures show that bonds were issued in the sum of $122,000 to rebuild a road actually costing only $62,113.75. The difference of $59,866.25 represents the sum on which the tax payers of Franklin County, Mifflin Township, and the adiojning land owners will have to pay interest into the county treasury in excess of the amount needed. The county will hayato pay a much greater interest charge on this amount than it will receive from the sinking! fund depository. Thus the Franklin County tax payers will lose the difference between the interest paid on the bonds and the interest received on the money put out on de« posit. Out of the $4,402,940.50 bonds issued up to Feb. 28 there was a dif-

fer looking at it through the eye glasses of the man who lives in the mud. The present state system is divided into two parts, the main market roads and the inter-county-high-wuys. The total mileage of these when all come under state supervision (see chart) or, in other words, the goal toward which the Ohio Highway Department is working, is 10,663 miles, of which 4464 miles were under state supervision Dec. 31, 1921, while 650 more are being built this

season.

The main market roads roghly will compose three lines of travel each way across the state, while the intercounty roads compose the main feeders and the countv and township roads system that theffl ffl ffl fll

ference of $982,119.03 in excess of the

connectiong up with them. It is with

this system that the main discussion j actual sale price and when all sales in Ohio has been concerned, to the - are made in Ohio this year, the ex

neglect of the dirt road

The farmer is used to making money by savingj it, and one of our primary concerns is the maintenance of the highways already constructed and which are sadly going to pieces in many parts of the state. He is also concerned to get a dollars worth of road for every dollar expended, and there have been times when he has wondered if he gets value received. There are many examples

cess will reach a much higher figure. With these facts and figures before you, the farm organizations have the

following to recommend:

“That it is time that some check should be put on the bond issuing powers of our highway authorities, who have issued bonds far in excess of actual road costs; that inasmuch as the farmer pays the greater share of the cost of road construction he should either be relieved of this bur-

sary. We feel further that this will stop the wasteful spending of money and extricate the state Highway Department from the present situation and will go a long way towards putting) a large part of the 49,000 miles of dirt roads into much better shape than they are at the present time. Ohio’s highway problem is one of getting the-folks out of the mud and the necessities of life to market rather than building a tramway for the commercial truck hauler and a few hard-surfaced roads for pleasure driving. Naturally the farmer looks at this problem first from his own doorstep, but long ago he realized that on all problems relating to community effort, he must work in co-operation with the other interests affected. We ae preaching co-operation to our own members. We want to practice it and co-operative with you folks in the solution of this highway problem, and I assure you that you will find the farmer fair in all his dealings when he knows the facts in the case and we are using our best efforts to find out these facts. values for Lie other years are figured from it. A glance at this table shows that there was a steady increase in gross values from 1909 until after the beginning) of the World War. In 1914 the gross value was 115.1. By 1917 the gross value had jumped to 225.9. In 1918 the value had reached 262.7, and in 1919 the highest level of all had been touched—277.9. By 1920 the level had dropped to 190, and in 1921 to 144.5. The fall in the aggregate value of farm products from the apex in 1919 is more readily measured if the value for that year is regarded as 100. Then, 1920 becomes 68.4 and 1921 becomes 52.0, or hardly more than one-half of the aggregate value for 1919. Four crops of 1921 together had a value greater than one-half of the total value of all crops for that year. Corn was valued at $1,303,000,000 in round figures, or 18.5% of the total hay and forage at $1,165,00,000, 16.6%; cotton lint and seed at $755,000,000 or 10.7%; wheat at $737,000,000,, or 10.5%. This makes the valuation of the four crops $3,960,000,000, or 56.3% of the total. Several groups of crops are prominent. For example, the cereals were valued at $2,563,000,000, or 36.5% of the crop total; the vegetables, including potatoes and sweet potatoes, at $1,104.000. 000, or 15.7%; fruits and fruit products at $525,000,000, or 7.5%. and fruits and vegetables together at $1,269.000. 000, or 23.2%. Of the total value of animal products were valued at $2,410,000,000, or 45.1% of the total; the animals raised at $1,937,000,000, or 36.6%; and the poultry raised and eggs produced at $943,000,000, or 17.7%.

BEET IS CONSIDERED OBLIGING VEGETABLE

Does Not Require as Rich Soil as Some Others.

It Will Also Flourish In Light and Sandy Soils—To Do Its Best Crop Should Not Have Any Fresh Manure Applied. The beet is a most obliging vegetable in that it does not require as rich soil to yield generously as some others. It will also flourish in lighter and sandier soils than some of the root crops. The beet should not have any fresh manure in the soil to do its best but only well-decayed manure or compost. ; Early beets are most valued as greens, the roots being more esteemed later in the season or even in the fall and winter. If it is desired to get an :early crop of beets for greens they may be started in the house as easily as lettuce, but care must be taken in

Co-operation is Needed in Making Up Estimate

Federal and State Departments Get Together at Washington Conference

over the state, where, in the improve- 7 1ULUU ^neveu or tins ourment of one piece of road, several den , hav e some say as to how the

other miles are being destroyed by

the trucks hauling materials, and we are now face to face with the proposition where the Director of The

money is spent; that in order to make Ohio roads of the greatest value to every one in the state a statewide patrol system of maintenance must be

sVatP HioWav Dprmrfiriprit- 1 installed that, as a means of making that it is Impossible^for the state to I this , maintenance system effective, take over any more highways and l’ oads . should ke classified according that this Department is falling be- to tnpir rarrvinc ' panamtv - aTld tVlP

to their carrying capacity, and the

hind on the road mileage that should leads that may travel over them be rebuilt in order to make it per- hmited to thls capacity and according

manent. There is no gainsaying that there is much dissatisfaction over the

to season.

We feel a revision on this basis of

state, and the further the farmer the road system of the state is neces-

Close co-eperation between the federal department of markets and crop estimates and the market divisions of the various states, an extension of the system of broadcasting market reports by radio through agencies authorized by the government for that work, the giving of the widest possible publicity to market reports by newspapers and agricultural journals and a close regard for the interests of the people, especially in the matreports, grading and standardization, . were the chief questions given con- ■ sideration by marketing) heads, just | concluded at Washington after a i three-day session, and participated in by Secretary of Agriculture Wallace. Accounts of the meeting and the results derived from it as beneficial to Ohio were outlined recently by George U. Marvin, chief of the division of markets and marketing, upon his return from the national capital. It was agreed, according) to Marvin, that the work of the government and the states in the matters ‘of market reports, graidng and standardization, broadcasting of information and the various details entering into market activities were so closely related and so interwoven that they became mutually dependent and could not work with the greatest degree of success unless they worked in harmony. To this end it was decided to exchange reports as to what is being done, offer suggestions for improvement and as often as possible, agents of the government will visit the different states for conference, looking to an improvement and enlargement of service. It is expected that J. C. Gilbert, specialist in market extension and having charge of the broadcasting work, will soon visit Ohio as one of the states included in a long trip. Fifteen states had representatives at the conference to meet with Secretary Wilson and the heads of the bureau of markets and crop estimates.

Young Beets. transplanting not to break the tap root if some of them are wanted for |the root. Breaking the tap root in transplanting leads to branching or knotty roots when they mature. Each beet “seed” is really a fruit containing several seeds, which is the reason why beets, no matter how thinly the seed seems to be sown, come up thickly. The beet crop sometimes does not flourish as it should to produce a luxuriant crop of greens. Shallow planting usually is the main trouble. They should be planted an Inch deep and even an inch an a half If the soil is very light and sandy. Beets may be planted between rows of corn and yield successfully as they tvill do better for the shade in midsummer and do not take enough food from the soil to interfere with the porn. The combination of a slow-growing find a fast-growing crop in the garden Is a good one to keep in mind, because they can usually be companion crops without harm to either, the slow growers taking the nourishment from the soil slowly and in such small quantity the fast growers are not injured.

DRAIN MUCK AND PEAT LAND Area Should First Be Drained by System of Open Ditches to Permit Land to Settle. When muck and peat land is to be drained by tile the area should first be drained by a system of open ditches, according to the bureau of public roads, United States Department of Agriculture. Such soils settle or subside considerably after drainage and tend to disturb the grade or slope of the tile line. After such soils have been drained for a year or so they become compact enough to permit the installation of tile drains. Usually the best method, says the bureau, is to dig the ditches where the tile is to be laid later, and after the tile is laid and the ditch back-filled there will be nothing to interfere with cultivation.

MY HAT! London—Fashionable milliners report that this spring’s sale of hats has exceeded that of every year since 1913.

NUMBER OF CATTLE TESTED

More Than 2,000,000 Animals Now Under Supervision in Tuberculosis Eradication Work. The total number of cattle now under supervision in the tuberculosis eradication work being carried on by the United States Department of Agriculture in co-operation with the states has passed the 2,000,000 mark, the total for February being 2,027,000. During that month 200,334 cattle were tested, bringing the total of cattle once tested up to 1,181,516, and the total of those in fully accredited herds to 292,716. There are now 361,826 cattle on the waiting list. On March 1, more than 12,000 farmers and breeders had accredited herds.

BED OF MUSHROOMS WILL PAY

JOKE ON DIPLOMATS London—A practical joker hung up j this banner before the quarters of the Angora Turkish Mission: “We have lost our Angora goats.”

TELEPHONE TRAGEDY Athens—While M. Anasthasius Goulakis a retired banker, was using, the telephone at his country estate in a storm, a lightning bolt struck the wire and killed him.

PASTOR’S DUAL LIFE Nottingjham, Eng.— While his wife was awaiting the return of Rev. Albert E. Allaby to Mansfield, he committed suicide at a hotel here with Miss Ethel Guthroe,

Necessary That Precautions Be Taken in Planting Spawn Bricks in Proper Manner. Mushroom growing will pay anyone who takes the necessary precautions in planting the spawn bricks in the proper manner, say the vegetable crop experts at Iowa State college. In order to do the best the bricks should be planted in a cave or cellar where a temperature of 50 degrees F. can be maintained. Make a bed of fermented horse manure and plant the bricks containing the spawn about a foot apart. Be sure that the spawn bricks were obtained from a reputable seedsman or trouble may result.

KILLS WIFE ON STAGE Warsaw—Henri Lesarge, a Fren sword thrower, killed his wife durii their act at a theater here. He clair it was an accident bur has been e rested for murder.