The Ward County independent. [volume] (Minot, Ward County, N.D.) 1902-1965, 1913-03-27
THE PRODUCER CARRIES
Continued from hr-t page,

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farming, IL Chat means larger yielt
! on a given number of acres and {
| reduction in the cost OF production:
| Drt~we don. believe in running a race
with foreign grain producing coun
tries and trying to RAISE more and
more millions Of bushels and thus
glut the market. Cultivattng fewei
acres on scientific plan would mean
less lator, less expense and more
profit and, above all, would leave q
little time fer the producers to use
their brains as we'll as their lanas.
The producers must organize and
cooperate, and 1t matters not wheth
er that organization is known as the
American Society of Equity or by
any other name az long as It Is
founded on right principles and car.
ried on by the producers themselves
for their own interests and protection.
They could take lessons from the sys-
TEN adopted higher NJ" and regulate
production and marketing 10 conform;
with tho demand; and If they would
stand united and speak out in unison
they could have medium of exchanse
or farm credits extended to them hy
the government by which they would
not be bled to death nor forced to
dump their grain on the market all
at once in the fail, but could, by
united action. regulate marketing and
thereby uphold prices.
The building and operation Of farm.
ers elevators was step in the right
direction and has already been Of
great benefit to the producers.
Twelve or fifteen years ago the lire
companies handled practically all the
grain In this western country, and
there is no doubt in our mind that
without competition, they charged toe
much for the service. Now, all flr,
mers who have their own grain Gle.
vators get their grain handled for
cost, that is, they receive in the price
of the grain and in dividends all there
is in it less operating expenses. The
cry Of the Equity Exchange promoters
that there is such graft In the mar
keting Of grain today is all bosh =
cheap petty FORGERY. We claim that
today the grain goes from the farm.
ers elevators to the mills and from
the mills to the consumer on q much
smaller margin and on more eco
ncmical basis than any other COM
modify in the commercial world. 1t
makes no difference to us who are IA.
vored and who are not. we are going
to state the truth as We see it. To
our knowledge we have no subscriber
at the terminals and We carry no ad-
vertising for any commission firm, but
this issue has forced itself upon us
and we have been compelled to dls
for information; We have gathered
statistics and other reliatle infoema.
ton from impartial sources and find
that when the regular commission
man sends his money out to the FAR
mers and pays for the grain in ad-
vance and handles 1t for one cent
per bushel, he will have to do An i'm.
mense business to make 1t pay any
more than expenses. We have the
figures from few Of the oldest and
largest commission firms who years
ago sent reliable representatives out
in this country and helped the farm.
ers to organize ard build elevators at
the time when there was little, If
any, money among the farmers them
selves to build elevators for and no
available money in the local banks
These commission men advanced the
farmers money to build at a low
rate Of Interest, advanced all the
money with which to buy grain and
figures show that years ago, when
prices were higher, the commission
men had as much as $500 cash ad-
vanced 10 the farmers for every $40
of profit to themselves. Is there any
other line Of business that can be car
ried on a smaller margin of profit
considering the risk? These firms
show US by facts and figures that they
must do a large business in order to
exc out one-half cent per bushel net
profit on the commission, the other
half goes to expenses at the terminals
and to their travelling representatives,
who have assisted III starting the far
mers elevator companies right; and 1t
is known fact that all the farmers
elevator companies who have follow