14 

 AGRICULTURAL DISTRESS IN 1915. 



Government Proposals for Remedying it. 



In 1915 the President of the Republic declared in a 

 message to the Senate that, owing to the losses which 

 Agriculture was suffering it was a previsory duty to 

 seek some means of impeding the considerable deprecia- 

 tion in the value of the cereals through unjustifiable 

 causes. It was notorious that the losses which were in- 

 flicted on the farmers from their being unable to market 

 their grain in good condition, to dry, clean, classify and 

 grade their cereal products, before disposing of it, ex- 

 ceeded $70,000,000 m|n. annually: That the area 

 under agriculture was being extended, and it was impe- 

 rative to undertake the necessary steps without delay in 

 order to obtain the great benefits for our farmers to which 

 their labours entitled them : That the construction of Gra- 

 naries, or Grain elevators, could be delayed no longer and 

 therefore the Government had decided on their construc- 

 tion without delay, confident that, with the aid of ele- 

 vators, there would be an end to our Agricultural losses. 



The Senatorial commission, to which the project was 

 submitted, declared that the losses sustained were much 

 superior to the sum stated by the President in his mes- 

 sage, and, in fact, exceeded $100,000,000 m|n., and that, 

 with the astonishing progress which agriculture was mak- 

 ing, it was essential to attempt some diminution of the 

 charges which weighed so heavily on our cereals from 

 the moment they were harvested till the time they left 

 the country. 



The Minister of Agriculture speaking in the Senate 

 declared : 



"That the construction of Elevators, granaries, and 

 grain-dryers, was, in the opinion o the Government, a 

 problem of such vital importance as to constitute a ques- 

 tion of State interests. Although there were varied opi- 

 nions as to the methods of working them, all those who 

 had studied our agricultural problems were of unanimous 

 opinion regarding the convenience of grain elevators, and 

 the necessity of building them immediately. Their ab- 

 sence was inflicting unwarranted losses on the country, 

 in which, of the 24 million of cultivated hectares, no less 

 than 13 millions were sown with cereals requiring a vigor- 

 ous manipulation in order to improve the quality and 

 price, and in order to achieve this and to avoid losses, 

 which the colonists without capital and customary re- 

 sources must face, elevators were essential. 



From an enquiry practised by the Cereal Chambers 



