BILL JONES filled his pipe and 

 settled his plump dimensions 

 comfortably into his easy chair. 

 He had just finished a large 

 evening meal and was looking 

 over the accounts before working on 

 the family budget. 



Suddenly he sat upright as though 

 stuck with a pin. ""What," he roared 

 at his wife, '"Do you mean to tell me 

 this is our food bill for last week.^ 

 Why," he spluttered, "it's outrageous. 

 Those confounded farmers must be 

 getting rich!" 



This is the usual reaction of many 

 consumers. Without thinking much 

 about it they look around for some- 

 one handy on whom to pin the blame. 

 Food, they appear to reason, comes 

 from farmers. So farmers are the 

 cause of high prices. 



What are the facts.' First and fore- 

 most, the high cost of food is caused 

 by heavy demands from Bill Jones and 

 everyone else. Factory worker Bill 

 Jones, who thinks farmers must be 

 ""getting rich," is doing pretty well 

 himself. His wages have more than 

 doubled since 1934. 



And strange as it may seem, he is 

 spending a smaller part of his income 

 for the same quantity of food than 

 he did before the war. Furthermore, 

 he is eating more and better; better 

 than he has in a good many years. 

 He and his family are consuming more 

 milk, more eggs, more meat, and more 

 fruits and vegetables, but less potatoes 

 and bread. 



A Fine Thing 



Farmers think it's a wonderful thing 

 that more American families are better 

 fed and they take a great deal of pride 

 in feeling mainly responsible for the 

 improved American diet. 



While other peoples are going 

 hungry, how is it that Bill Jones and 

 his neighbors can eat better quality 

 foods than ever before.' 



Simply because of the man he criti- 

 cizes — the farmer. Since 1940 the 

 farmer has, by his efficiency and hard 

 work, poured record-breaking floods of 

 food and fiber on the market. His 

 efforts were climaxed this fall by the 

 production of record grain crops in- 

 cluding the greatest corn crop of all 

 time. Sure, the farmer will benefit 

 from this record production. But so 

 will Bill Jones. Bill should try to 

 imagine where prices would be if the 

 fellow he thinks is "getting rich" pro- 

 duced only two-thirds of the food he 

 is producing now. 



And what about this "getting rich" 

 idea in Bill's head. Yes, the farmer is 

 making a better living; but is he 



L A. A. RECORD 



t 



4 k. 



making a t 

 expense.' 

 are high; i 

 high, and' 

 American 

 to buy m( 

 haven't be( 

 food price 

 other comt 

 What is 

 We just I 

 record-breai 

 on the ma 

 Already yoi 

 cost of foot 



You say i 



may be trc 



have droppi 



dropped an 



peak price 



is down $1X 



the farmer 



every dollar 



32 cents in 



processing 



farmer cann 



man doesn'i 



farmer does. 



In bringin 



average farr 



1947 and \^ 



Bill Jones tc 



take into cor 



members of 



thousands ol 



buildings an 



probably has 



in the factoi 



he did natu 



fair return ot 



The years 



many expert; 



when farm ai 



proper balan( 



Considerin 



100, we find' 



factory work< 



cent while f 



talk of high 



175 per ceni 



average facto 



ahead of food 



Americans j 



to get and p 



are fortunate 



far less than t 



countries to I 



better food. 



How long 

 have to labor 

 the same fooc 

 Russian worke 

 age American 

 enough to buy 

 eggs, and a qi 

 Russian worki 



DECEMBER, ] 



