Semi-weekly herald., 1910-05-23
MINUTES OF THE DISTRICT UNION

the meeting to order and the minutes
OF the last regular monthly meeting
were read and approved.
The sccretary's report on the ar
rangements that had been made with
he state railroad commission about
getting schedule of freight rates 10
print in our official paper was ap-
proved and filed. The secretary also
reported on the attempt he had made
to get the Hon. E. Dana Durand. di-
rector of the census, and President
TAFT to give the farmers access to the
census lists of the crops in the dis
trict before they are offered for sale
this fail and on his conference with
ditor i'll regard TO the high school
tax. He also reported on the prices
of farm produce In Denver and in the
San Luis valley, and then he read the
statement from the auditor of the
ID & R. (Which is printed in an
other column-and which shows that
last year there was S,S90,63S pounds
of farm produce shipped into Durango.
The reading of that statement ere.
ated quite a sensation. for 1t afforded
clear proof of the fact that the farm
ers in this district have never yet sup.
piled their home market; and It also
furnished one explanation for the
high prices they have been getting.
The president reduced the amounts
of each commodity given in the report
to tons weight to impress the dele
gates with The improbability of there
being surplus in the home market
this fall; and in long and earnest
speech he admonished them not to get
panic stricken. as they usually do, and
dump their crops for half price next
October.
The secretary contended that most
OF the farmers in this district always
have known, at least in a general way.
that they never raise enough farm
produce TO supply the home market.
That dumping is due to wild rumors
spread among them in the early fall
by interested parties which almost
invariably induces them to sell for
much less than they could get by hold
ing. and marketing their hard earned
crops in a judicious manner. He de-
MED that il is only farmers who are
pressed with debts who rush their
n pnaplnt IN aaPltr foil n
he called attention to the way nearly
every farmer in the district sacrificed
his crops TWO years ago. He claimed
that the only reason the crops We're
not sacrificed on the altar of greed
last fall was because through organi-
2ation the farmers had learned some.
thing about their own market. hut that
The arrangements they had so far
made for ayerting panics were far
from complete. That before any farm.
er can feel justified in holding his
crops he must not only have authen-
tic and reliable information about out
side markets, but he must have the
best obtainable Information about his
0w, This information about supply
contended. would cost money, but that
Ii would be worth many times what
1t would cost Therefore, he made a
motion that an assessment OF one
dollar be levied on every member of
the union TO be used in getting this
information, SO that this fall the farm
ers instead of the dealers will be pre-
pared TO take advantage of the 40.
cent freight rate which the ID. e. R.
G charges for hauling outside produce
In here
The motion was opposed by sew
eral delegates on the ground that when
the statement received from the audi
tor of the ID. & R. G. is published in
the Official paper, every farmer will
be convinced that our home market,
protected by 40-cent freight rate,
must be secure; and therefore, if the
farmers have any sense at all, 1t
will not be necessary to spend any
money in gathering information about
our meager supplies Delegate Boyee
said he would vote for the assessment
If he thought II would be paid, but
that our experience in levying assess
ments last year made him doubt 1t.
Delegate Michigan said 1t would be a
waste of money to gather statistics
about supply and demand; but that
he would vote an assessment to get
information about the cost of produc-
ton. The secretary said that since
prices are fixed by competition he
could not see how knowing what 1t costs
TO produce farm stuff would help us
in getting better prices for it. Finally
on motion of Delegate Mead the whole
matter was referred to the local un.
ions. and 1t was recommended that
each local levy an assessment OF one
dollar on its members 10 get infor-
nation about our markets.
Delegate Kristensen from the Red
mesa local then introduced the follow
ing resolution, moved its adoption
and asked that copy of 1t be sent