Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1916-08-05

ferent states.
The real unit OF the National Cham
Der, however, as designed in the bill,
would consist of the farmers OF each
individual township in the United
States. When twenty farmers In
township should organize. they would
be granted charter by the National
Chamber. Each member Of the local
organization Is to have one vote, and
each local organization Is to have its
own oflicers. and levy what fees and
dues its constitution may provide.
When four or more townships IN
given county have organized their
local chamber. they are to get together
and apply for charter for county
chamber, which the national chamber
will grant. This county chamber Will
In turn maintain as much OF stan
As 1t finds necessary and profitable.
The county chamber is made up OF
delegates elected one from each OF
the local chambers. %fs
As soon as one-third of the counties
in a single state have organised coun-
ty chambers, they may apply for
charter for state chamber, which the
national chamber will grant. The
state chamber Is to be composed OF
one delegate from each county cham
Der. just as the county chamber Is
drawn from the townships. When
twenty states have organized state
chambers the national chamber will
automatically come into being, nation
al oflcers will be elected the officials
appointed by the president will retire
in their favor, and the whole will be
a democratic, organization on purely
elective basis. .=,
What will this somewhat elaborate
National Chamber. with all its state.
county and township divisions and
their respective STATS actually do?
How do its designers intend it to
function? Take a simple case.
John Stevens. fruit-grower, has
seven barrels of apples for sale. He
does not want to ship blindly to some
nearby city, and he cannot read fifty
market reports day and continue
to prune his apple-trees. He tells the
secretary Of his township chamber
about his apples and let's the matter
drop from his mind.
One provision of the bill is that all
units of the National Chamber, shall
provide for the employment Of the
card index. the telephone and the tele-
graph" The local secretary looks
In the card index and sees II any
body In the township wants apples.
Perhaps not very we'll; he telephones
concerning the apples OF John Stevens
the county secretary. This Official In
turn sees whether anybody In the
county wants Johns apples. Perhaps
not. He refers them to, the state Sec
rotary, who can II necessary turn to
the national secretary, and by morn
ing the whole of the United States
of America has been canvassed to find
q market for seven barrels Of apples.
In this simplest of possible cases
YOU have the scheme OF whole. The
National Chamber of Agriculture Is
Ito get the farmer the best possible.
market by letting the whole country
know, what. he has for safe and by
letting him know what every part Of
the country wants to buy. The law
of supply and demand is to be per.
mitted to function freely. While the
would assure the farmer
OF the best market price, 1t should
also protect the, consumer by relieving
anv local secretary with its consequent
.inAuation ,ot prices. -.a...:.,.
+. The bill is based in large part on
the investigations made by the Amer
lean commission in Europe recently,
and is approved by Mr.. David Lubin.
the American delegate to the Inter
national Institute of Agriculture. 1t
is also endorsed by the National AS
ISOLATION of Commissioners of Agricul-
rture., a recent organization, whose
membership consists. of the forty
eight State Commissioners OF Agncul-
ture, with DR., Clarence J. Owens, who
directed much of the work of the
European Investigation. as secretary.
(. The bill has been criticised for APP
preaching the problem too exclusively
from the, producers end, without suf-
ficient provision for the convenience
Of the consumer, and also as no. max
ing sufficient use of state and local
marketing organizations already evist-
ing. as well as the Bureau of Markets
in the. Department Of Agriculture. But
while It may emerge from committee
somewhat amended. it seems to have
the vitality that assures that 1t will
emerge, and come up for an early
vote. n--. :