The Yale expositor., 1920-03-18

~ OO'1
w. H. Wallace, general manager
of the Michigan Sugar company,
issued a statement Monday deny
ing claims which have been made
recently in a farm periodical pur-
porting to show injustices in the
way in which beet growers OF
the state have been treated in the
fixing of the sugar beet prices. He
declared that these statements are
incorrect, and in refuting them
said:
Statements given out on the
platform and by the Michigan
Business Farming are very much
overdrawn and misleading and a
long way from a true statement
of actual conditions. There has
been an advance in contract labor
for beets. The price is dependent
upon the width Of rows. The only
width of rows that have advanced
So is the "a and % inch. Eighty
per cent of the beets grown in
Michigan are planted from 18 to
% inches apart and that price has
advanced $4. 1t requires just as
much labor to take care Of 18-inch
rows as it does "a inch. The Mich
igan Business Farming makes the
general statement that the adj
vance has been Sc.
Sin an attempt to secure labor
for next year, it soon became ap-
parent that even $28.00 per acre
was not enough. 1t was decided
to advance this price So per acre
and the sugar companies assum-
ing it themselves on account of
having agreed with the farmer to
endeavor to secure the labor for
them at $28.
No Excessive Overhead
"The statement that the labor
contract is not understood by the
growers is not true. 1t is always
presented with the beet contract.
there is no reason why they
should not understand it. Except
Ior the price of labor, manufac-
rurers do not admit that the cost
OF growing beets this year will be
in excess of last year.
THE statement is also made that
scale-men and field men and about
everybody else that might be out
OF work around the sugar factory
are out writing acreage, and the
farmers are paying for this. There
are no scalemen in the field, un-
less they happen to be field men,
and while the field mems work at
this time may not be very strenu-
Gus, it helps to balance the long
hours during the planting and
harvesting season.
Since the sliding scale has
Leen in effect, the price paid tc
farmers for beets has been de-
pendent upon the average price o1
sugar between Oct. ] and Feb. l
It is said that the price invariably
advances after Feb. 1. This state
ment is not true. At no time since
the sliding scale has been in effec'
the price of beets being based up
on the price of sugar, has tn,
Michigan Sugar Company sold it
sugar after Feb. 1st at an advanc,
over the price prior to Feb. /.
Explains Contracts
"SoNe of the speakers make tn
statement that the companies car
nv the contracts around in thei
pocket or file in their Office hav
ing in mind that if there is
change in the prospects for pric
of sugar or weather conditions
that the contracts will not be exc
cuted or returned to the grower
The Michigan Sugar Co., sine
its organisation has not refuse
more than one dozen contracts an
have refused none with reputabl
growers. We have been offere
contracts with people who neve
made a success growing anythin
and returned them. l am satisfie
this does not exceed dozen cor
tracts during the past ten year
which indicates that there are
very few such growers. Furthe
there is no change in weather col
ditions between the contract wri
ing time and Feb. Is, which coul
in any possible way effect the va
ue of the contract. These contrac-
are always returned about thi
time. Since the sliding scale h;
been in effect, it has been Gu
tomary to return them with Il
bonus or with the extra pay ov,
the minimum price paid on IL
delivery of the beets. You wi
understand that the present co
tract guarantees $40 per ton. Tn
is paid to the grower upon deli
cry Of his beets. The balan