THE INSUFFICIENCIES 



Striking insufficiencies 



The most apparent deficiencies are lack 

 of effective rural institutions, as of really 

 live and progressive social organizations, 

 churches and schools; but all these are of 

 course dependent on the earning-power of 

 the farmer ; and this earning-power is con- 

 ditioned on the freedom and fairness with 

 which the farmer may conduct his busi- 

 ness, as compared with other men. The 

 middleman system needs to be overhauled 

 and the abuses removed. This ought to 

 come about through the operation of a 

 public-service commission or similar body. 

 Foreign markets should be opened. The 

 inequalities of taxation should be evened 

 up. The discriminations in transporta- 

 tion rates and regulations must be cor- 

 rected by the constant oversight of some 

 competent authority. Parcels posts and 

 postal savings banks must be provided. A 

 useful system of agricultural credit and 

 banking needs to be worked out. Injus- 

 tices in general legislation that bear spe- 

 cially heavily on the farmer need to be cor- 

 rected. Monopolistic control of streams, 

 2 17 



