656 STATE BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



BOUNTY OF EXPORTS. 



It is the avowed policy of the National Grange to demand of the govern- 

 ment a measure of benefit for agriculture, equal to that enjoyed by other 

 interests because of whatever system of tariff is the adopted policy of the 

 government. It is asserted by many farmers and especially those who 

 live in the great agricultural West, that at the present time, the farmers 

 are not receiving as good a measure of benefits from the system in opera- 

 tion, as do manufacturers and other interests, because, as they claim, the 

 chief staples of agriculture are, a greater portion of the time, raised in 

 surplus quantities, and as soon as any farm product is raised in excess of 

 home demands, the surplus, if merchantable, must go abroad to find sale, 

 and is sold in the foreign markets in competition with the cheap land and 

 cheap labor countries of the world, and what the exporter pays for this 

 surplus, although the surplus may be comparatively small in quantity, it 

 fixes the price of the larger quantities of the same commodity that are 

 sold on the home markets. Attention to this apparent injustice and the 

 duty of the National Grange because of its expressed position on the 

 tariff question was called by Mr. David Lubin, a gentleman of broad 

 observation and experience, and who is devoting much time and means in 

 travel to foreign countries for the study of economic conditions, and how 

 they affect the people, and especially the agricultural producers of this 

 country. Mr. Lubin, as is well known, advocates a system of export 

 bounties to be paid by our government on such portions of our agricul- 

 tural products as are exported. He asserts that the result of such bounty 

 will be to raise the price of all such commodities as are sold on the home 

 market, and thus establish equity and justice between the manufacturer 

 and the farmer. Thus the farmer will, in turn, be able to buy of the 

 manufacturer at the increased price, otherwise the farmer is compelled to 

 sell cheap and buy dear, and this, he maintains, is what ails farming. 

 This question comes repeatedly before the National Grange and has at- 

 tract: d considerable attention. The result, at the recent session, was that 

 the President of the United States was petitioned to appoint a non-par- 

 tisan commission and comprising representatives of the different pro- 

 ductive and business interests of the country, to consider this question 

 and to investigate the question of revenue and kindred subjects, to the 

 end that they will be eliminated from partisan manipulation. I place the 

 main features of the proposition before you for your consideration with 

 the other economic questions of the day. 



BUREAU OF INFORMATION. 



In accordance with a resolution, passed by the National Grange, its 

 Executive Committee is instructed to establish an information bureau 

 between states, to the end that surpluses and shortages in farm com- 

 modities existing in different parts of the country may be known to 

 would-be sellers and consumers. The information so collected is to be 

 transmitted in some systematic form to the members of the order in the 

 different states. If the Agricultural Department can succeed in causing 

 transportation companies to see it in their interest to furnish cheap rates 

 on these commodities, consumption may be greatly increased here in our 

 own country. Herein is an opportunity to perform valuable work for our 



