The Carlisle independent., 1910-08-04
B. F. fOAKUM ON ORGANIZING
President of the Frisco System While is New York Tells of Ad-
 vantages to Farmers.

Mir B. F. Yoakum, president of the Frisco system of railroads, while in New York recently spoke at some length on the advantages of organiza- ton among farmers. He said among other things:
 s'The east does not understand or appreciate what the farmers of the west and middle west are doing to- ward organization the better to protect their interests in handling their prod ucts. saw enough at the farmers convention held in St. Louis taS. first week of this month to con me that the farmers as prod are more enterprising than the e,ny ers in our large cities whom theirTis cts must feed.
 There were present at this er- ence farmers from 40 different stM ss. Their business talks dealt mainly wifN commercial and agricultural questions and not politics. Formerly politicians had a good deal to say at such agr. cultural meetings and took up much of the time and attention of the mem bers of such conventions discussing politics rather than the improvement of their own industry.
 The farmers are doing two things of importance for themselves and the whole country: They are increasing their production per acre and they are developing better methods of market ing their crops.
 The agricultural awakening over the country is general and genuine. New methods, both for producing and marketing, are being studied by the farmers and the results are better pro- duction and prices with less labor The farmers chief difficulty is the adoption of better business methods in market ing their crops. This is now being overcome through organization. In this they are working under disad yantages, some cases are crude and awkward, but they are much in earn est and are making headway.
 "The farmers have in the different states over 2,500 selling and buying organizations. Some of these agencies are handling a large business. Some have just organized and are small, but all are working with businesslike di- rectness in the interest of the pro- ducers.
 Tn some of the western states they are storing their grains and other non- perishabe products in their jointly owned elevators, warehouses and granaries. They do their own banking and wait for the prices that suit them before they sell.
 New methods are being adopted. In the next few years much improve ment will be made. These organiza- tions are working with a view of cut ting out waste between the grower and the user. They are endeavoring to keep their products out of the hands of needless profit takers.
 ''The farmers organization is help ing the farmers, but the consumers will continue to pay large tribute to the army of profit takers which stand between the farms and the consumers tables so long as present conditions make it possible for middlemen to take so many unnecessary profits be- fore the products reach the consumers.
 New York is in no position to call the farmers slow and behind the times The people of the greatest city of America are the ones who are not ta. king advantage of their opportunities and are paying enormously for such neglect
 While the farmers of the west and middle west are busy organizing they are yet often forced to sell their potatoes at Is to 20 cents a bushel or let them rot on their hands. There fore to make this system a success for both the producer and the consumer the movement from the field to the table must be as near direct as pos- sible.
 ''The farmers have learned that they cannot sell to advantage through agen. cies too far from their homes and re. ceiye proper protection, and to over. come this they are establishing nearby selling agencies. These agencies are run with as good business sense as any New York business may be run yet New York has done almost noth. ing in the way of establishing cheap and convenient buying places for that unorganized class which cannot pro- tect itself.'