The producers news. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1918-1937, 1919-08-29
splendid form of government by this
sort of legislation.

That congress pass pending legisla-
ton clearly defining the legality OF
farmers cooperative organizations
is now being insistently demanded by
the spokesman of the farmers at
Washington. Recent prosecutions of
milk producers organizations AMI
other cooperative agencies under the
federal antitrust laws have aroused
storm of Indignation. 1t is pointed
out that the government has never
been strong enough to use these laws
to break up big business monopolists,
as was the intention of their enact
ment, and that insult is now being
heaped on injury by twisting them so
as to eliminate one of the few means
by which the public is able to get sus-
tenance without paying tribute to the
food trust.
GRADES DECLARED UNJUST
What Representative Baer and Sim
clair of North Dakota characterize 5
complete justification" of the North
Dakota viewpoint towards the wheat
guarantee is seen in statement is
sued by the senate agriculture COM
mittee. The committee has emphat-
ically asserted the necessity Of
changing the present wheat-grading
rules to prevent the millerst continu-
ing their profteering from both pro-
Queer and consumer on shriveled
wheat.
For a long time Senator Gronna.
chairman of the committee, as well as
other senators and representatives
and officers of the National Board of
Farm Organizations and the Nation
al Grange in Washington, were in
sisteRt that to remedy conditio6s it
would be necessary to remove the
wheat guarantee. The idea of having
the wheat-grading rules changed
never seemed to occur to them.
DROUTH BILL DELAYED
| The department of agriculture, I'm
der Secretary Houston's administra-
ton, has been frequently accused OF
neglecting the farmers interests,
honest effort in behalf of which is
the sole excuse for its existence and
the millions of dollars it costs the
government annually.
Secretary Houston has been toe
busy to pay any noticeable attention
to the drouth relief bill introduced in
the house more than month ago By
Representative Sinclair Of North Da
kota. No progress can be made or
this vital legislation until the secre
tary of agriculture has reported on it
which he has so far failed to do.
Not all OF Mr. Houston's subordi
mates are SO dilatory. From Leon M
Estabrook, chief of the bureau O.
crop estimates, Mr.. Sinclair has re
Iceived information showing thai
passage of his bill would be a yer.
good investment for the government
as well as a source OF immediate re
lief for the drouth-stricken farmer
of the Northwest. The two million
odd dollars loaned to the farmers o
Teaxs, Kansas, Oklahoma and New
Mexico by the department of agricul
ture last year, Mr.. Estabrook reports
resulted in doubling the wheat acre
age in these states this year. Ever
: cent loaned will be repaid. The Sin
| clair drouth relief bill calls for fed
} eral appropriation Of S5,0OO,oO0 as a
| emergency measure. Without som
: such federal aid, it is realized, tn
: northwestern crop returns are goln
to prove a grave disappointment at
7 critical time.
BIG IRRIGATION PROJECT
: British agricultural experts inten
to make the new colonies acquired b
the war valuable granaries for tn
, mother country, according to advice
= reaching the department of commert
from it's consular agents in Englan'
Sir w. Willcocks, known as the Brl
: ish irrigation wizards, who M
made an intensive study OF agr1cu
o tural possibilities in Mesopotaml
: has lust announced in London thu
:. 1880 900 acres of arid land in tn
former Turkish province can
. placed under cultivation by river lrr
}. cation.
Masopotamla, which is watered I
the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, CO..
tains the supposed site OF the Gardf
!. OF den, although all modern geoios
! shows that the greater part OF tn
- territory has,e been desert lana i
!, centuries. From purely practlc
motives British agricultnsts a