Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1917-12-18

Cooperation In Agriculture.
There has been . great loss among
farmers from the lack Of organization
Without organization the individua
farmer pays the highest price for wha
he purchases and receives the lowest
price for what he sells.
While the distributing agencies, rail
roads, middlemen and the retailers 70
ceive maximum return on their labor
and capital, or, at least have organized Q
distributing system in such complicat
ed and extravagant way, the purchaser
is often paying the highest price fol
some farm products while the producer
Is selling It for less than the cost of pro
duction.
1t was shown by Mr.. Wilson when he
was Secretary OF Agriculture that when
the consumer buys food for dollar, the
producer receives about fifty cents, the
other flfiy cents represents the cost oi
profits and distribution.
In the past there has been an effort to
regulate this by statute laws and com.
missions. This was leading factor 10
The passage Of the Interstate Commerce
Law, In legislation to regulate public ser.
vice and private corporations, and more
recently in the establishment of market
bureaus by Congress and the different
state legislatures.
The things most needed to bring
about better agricultural condition az
pointed out by President Roosevelt In
connection with the Country Life Com
mission, are better business methods,
and the solution of these questions de.
pends upon the farmer himself, aided by
state and federal legislation. It means
that the purchase of the things used on
the farm for distribution, the sale of
farm crops, and the handling of rural
public policy questions, must be organic.
ed on principles similar to those that
have contributed to the present high
state of efficiency Of capital and labor.
1t means that the farmers must work to.
esther and their common interests must
be united In strong force.
There have been many farmers organ.
izations in the past. Few OF these or
ganizations have been successful, and
he reason for these failures, briefly
stated, has been on account of lack of
confidence and loyalty among the men,
bers, incompetent local men for managers
who have, in many cases, been unsuccess-
full in their own business, and the lack
of being properly financed by the men,
bers. A great many of these, organiza-
tions have been managed by totally in
competent, low salaried men, because
the farmers have not realized that q
business organization to succeed depends
principally on the manager. possessing q
high degree of business and organizing
ability. But am convinced that our
failures in the past have not been In vain.
We have learned by bitter experience the
cause of failures of farmers'Organ.zations,
andwe are now building on better
foundation, and during the past few years
there have been launched in Maine
some very successful farmers business
organizations; namely the Farmers
Union with over one hundred locals In
the state and new one being organized
most every week.
The central organization In Water
Vile is doing very large business Of
buying farmers supplies and distribut-
ing these supplies to the local unions,
and they In turn, to the members, max
ing large saving and insuring high
class articles, and through the distribut.
ing store in Boston working out con.
ditions whereby they will be able to find
q market for large part of the farm
products, eliminating much Of economic
waste of distribution and handling.
The Fruit Growers Association con.
sists of central organization and some
fifteen locals with prospect that some
more will be organized in the near fu-
ture. They have already established q
method Of standardizing, grading and q
trade brand, 80 that the individual pro.
ducer by marketing his fruit through
the Association is able to get much
more satisfactory price, and also releases
him from the care and responsibility Of
packing and marketing bis fruit.
The New England Milk Producers
Association consists Of one hundred
6fty locals In Maine, with some Eve
thousand members. Through the GEN.
tral organization they have been very
successful in handling the milk situation
in New England by the way of standard
izing the business 80 that there will be
uniform method of buying and fixing
the price high enough so that the dairy
farmer will no longer be producing
milk at loss, but conducting publicity
campaign to encourage the consumption
of dairy products. On the whole, l
think the outlook for business farmers
organizations is very encouraging. We
have demonstrated that the farmers can
organize to buy farm supplies and sell
farm produce at great advantage.
Before dosing this article ! want to
say Q word about the Bureau Of Markets.
When the Bureau of Markets was first
established in this state In 1918, the
Chief of the Bureau was manager of the
Farmers Union and that took most of
his time. The Farmers Onion Is now
strong financially and we'll able to
finance itself. As there is no statute law
governing the duties of this Bureau,
since I have been In this Department,
beginning September first, I have had
to map ont my way. Ny work has been
principally, so far, getting what informa-
tion could about the production and
prices of the principal crops of Maine,
namely; potatoes, apples and hay. OBJ.
tanned this information by letters of 10
quiry to all the Departments of Agri
culture from the different states. and al.