Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1915-12-10
WHAT CANADIAN FARMERS
HAVE DONE


van and Alberta, have made a profit
ii $1,6V0,VO0 was told by George F.
Jhipman, Winnipeg, in an address
Jefore the National Conference on
Marketing and Farm Credits. Mr.
Chapman said, in part;
In the past nine years the grain
growers of Manitoba, Saskatchewan
and Alberta have organized three
companies for the handling of their
grain. These three companies are
now operating 400 country elevators
and one large terminal elevator at
the head of the Great Lakes. The
total assets of these three farmers
companies are over four and a half
million dollars and a paid up capital
of one and one-half million dollars.
During their operations the farm ers
have handled through their own
companies over $50, 100000 bushels
of grain and have made a net profit
on their operations of over $1,000
600. This, in brief, is the record of
the three western farmers grain
companies, the Grain Growers Grain
company, Winnipeg; the Saskatche-
wan Cooperative Elevator company,
Regina, saskatchewan, and the AL
berta Farmers Cooperative Elevator
pnu,popu rolpop,y
Prior to 1 > years ago the grain
trade of Western Canada was in the
hands of a few private companies
and the Canadian Pacific railway and
was practically without any regula-
tion of any kind. The result of such
affairs was disastrous to the farm
ers, and after investigation by a
royal commission the grain trade
was brought under a certain amount
of government regulation by the
Manitoba Grain Act of 1900. This
act bonded every grain company so
that the farmers were practically
certain of receiving payment for
their shipm ents. But it did not re-
move the chief grievance of the
farmers. In 1901 the first grain
growers association was organized
as protest against the unfair con-
dition of the grain trade. The or
ganization first started in Saskatche-
vii
over these provinces, and through
their organization the farmers car
ried their protest to Ottawa, where
they secured important amendments
to the grain act. There was still,
however, much to be desired and the
farmers decided to go into the grain
trade on their own account. In
1906 they established the Grain
Growers Grain company as a COM
mission house, which has since de-
veloped into track buying and the
operation of IT'S elevators in Mani
toba and $500, 000-bushel terminal
elevators at Fort William. In 1911
the farmers of Saskatchewan organ
lied the Saskatchewan Cooperative
Elevator company, in which the gov
eminent assisted to the extent of 50
per cent of the money required. In
1913 the farm ers of Alberta organ
lied the Alberta Farmers Cooper
ative Elevator company on the same
lines as the Saskatchewan company
the provincial government. All of
these companies have been success
full, and as a result of their opera
tons they have removed a very large
portion of the grievances of the grain
trade. In addition to this the or
ganized farmers have established
their own journal, the Grain Grow
ers' Guide, which in seven years has
reached the circulation of over a.
600 copies per week, and which is
now the largest farm journal in the
Dominion of Canada.
'All of these results have not been
brought about without a terrific
struggle against the forces of the
organized grain trade and with con-
siderable self-sacrifice on the part
of the farmers. The farmers COM
panies are now the biggest single
factor in the grain trade of Canada,
and it is only a matter of a few
years when they will market three
quarters of the Canadian grain crop.
It is also expected that in the future
they will go into flour milling and
possibly the operations of their own
line of steamships for the trans
portation of their grain"
DICTAPHONES TO BE USED