Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1918-12-27

anu IL was UNANIMOUSLY agreed TO
send a committee of five to Portland
| to interview Messrs. Houser and Will
cox, and September Z was fixed upon
as the date to meet in Portland. The
| Farmers Union Immediately wired
all our farmers warehouse and ele-
| vator companies to send delegates to
meet with this committee at Portland
| on the 9TH, with the result that more
than 200 representatives were pres
ent. The meeting was arranged at
the Multnomah hotel, Mr.. Wilcox not
being present. After considerable
discussion it was decided to send a
committee to Washington, d. c., to
present our complaint to the proper
authorities there and the following
committee was elected II. Insnger
of Spokane; Chas. Mackenzie of Col
fax; w. w. Harrah of Pendleton,
Ore, r. j. Stevens of Spokane; G. e.
Spence, master of the State Grange
Of Oregon; C. w. Nelson and C. S.
Armstrong of Seattle, and A. A. Ell
more. This committee proceeded to
Washington, d. c., and was success
full in securing a Pacific coast market
with a price of $2.05 basis, Seattle,
Tacoma and Portland. With an av-
erage freight rate to these points of
10 cents per bushel, this gave the
farmer $1.95 f. o. b. his local station,
or net gain of five cents per bushel
We gratefully acknowledge the as
sistance given us by the Spokane
Chamber of Commerce and other
commercial bodies throughout the
Inland Empire. They did splendidly,
all that was asked of them, but we
do not hesitate to say that to the
Farmers Union is due the credit of
having started the movement and
pushed it to successful conclusion.
With the success of this effort
fresh in the minds of our farmers
and the information coming to us
during our annual convention of the
Farmers Union December 1913 that
the Pacific Northwest had again been
left out in the establishment of the
primary interior marketing points
for the 1918 crop, 1t was decided to
begin work at once and consequently
Senator r. C. McCroskey offered
resolution before the convention on
December Il. providing for the APP
pointment of committee from the
Farmers Union and State Grange to
look after the interests of the farm
ers and to see to it, if possible, that
no injustice be done the producers Of
wheat i'll the final determination of
prices and basic rates in the territory
of these three Northwestern states.
This resolution provided that a
committee of three be selected from
the Farmers Union of Washington
and Northern Idaho, including the
state president of the Farmers Union,
three from the Grange of Washing
ton and Northern Idaho, including
the master of the State Grange, and
the same number from the Farmers
Union and Grange of Oregon and
Southern Idaho, including the presi-
dent of the Farmers Union and mas
ter of the State Grange respectively
The resolution called for a meet
ing of the committee as soon as their
appointment was made and conse-
quently on January IL, 1918, the
committee met in Spokane with the
following members present. Senator
h. c. McCroskey, r. e. Darling and
A. A. Gilmore, representing the Farm
ers Union of Washington and North
ern Idaho; j. S. Klemgard, J. C.
Lawrence and Mr.. Case, representing
| the Washington State Grange; A. V.
| Swift, w. w. Harrah and e. R. Hous-
| ton, representing the Farmers Union
of Oregon. The state grange of Ore
| gon was not represented.
Mr.. Gilmore was chosen as chair
man of the committee and a resolu.
ton was passed authorizing the
chairman to appoint a committee to
go to Washington, d. C. 1t was also
decided that it would be advisable
| for one member of the committee to
| proceed at once to Washington in
order 10 get line on what was be-
ing done there in order to facilitate
the work of the full committee on it's
arrival. A. V. Swift was appointed
with instructions to proceed at once
to Washington, the appointment of
the other members of the commit
lee being deferred to a later date.
AT the Bulk Grain convention, held
under the auspices of the Spokane
Chamber of Commerce January 26th,
a resolution was passed leaving the
matter of taking care of the farmers