The Caledonian-record. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1920-current, 1920-08-21
FARMERSAR
URGED TO
ORGANIZE

That in future years the farmers
who are unorganized will have to get
out of business was the statement
made by F. S. Adams, president of
the New ENGLAND Milk Producers as
ISOLATION, in his talk before the farm
ers of Barre and vicinity in Rowland
hall last NIGHT. 1t is up to the fam
ers, he insisted to get together and
own the machinery of distribution of
their products as well as the machin-
cry Of production, and in this way do
away with the middleman.
Richard Pattee, managing director
of the same association, and second
peaker of the evening, devoted h M
self more to tn actual progress and
undertakings of the Milk Producers
association than to the essential part
organization is playing in the life of
/ the farmer Mt the present time. His
main aim was to show the policy that
/ must be followed in a new organlza-
/ lion such as the one under discussion
/ IS, especially in regard to determining
] the policy which must be followed IN
certain matters That it is necessary
] to make sure of the facts on which
the policy is to be founded is impor
/ tant above al others, was a point
stressed by him through his speech.
There was a large crowd of local
farmers who attended the meeting.
[ VI. l.. Towne presided.
Ado,,,- ,locll9.aI bo trO11bla n
New England, especially in Vermont,
lay in the marketing system which
has ruled supreme until recent years.
| Under this system, he asserted, a
consumer paying dollar for goods,
received only fifty cents worth of the
original amount, and paid the remain
der of the dollar to middlemen. I'm
; der the new system there is to be col
lective bargaining on both the con-
sumer's side and that of the producer.
Any middleman that is necessary, ac-
cording to Mr. Adams, should be in
the form of an exchange under the
direction of either the producing or
consuming groups.
Using Maine as an example, Mr..
Adams explained the buyino system
in vogue there. There are both CEN
trail and local branches. One man
is hired to act as the head of the
main agency and it is his duty to
know the product he buys thorough
ly. If he is the grain buyer he is
member of the board of trade in Bos-
ton and Chicago, and buys his grain
for future delivery. This means that
all buying is direct from the source,
eliminating the jobber, the whole
saler and the retailer.
The organization of the fruit grow
ers has also greatly increased in le-
cent years Now each community has
its own seal, and finally the seal has
come to be known as a mark of con-
signment which the government
agents need not inspect. THE time
is, also coming said Mr.. Adams,
when consumers will organize more
than they are doing at the present
moment and Will buy from organized
farmers"
In conclusion Mr.. Adams enumet-
ated the necessities required for a
successful organization. Sutfclen mt
time must be given for the new ven
ture TO find its feet, good price must
be paid for a good manager, the OF
ficers must be trusted, and the mem
bers must make efforts to remedy
faults rather than sit around and crit
icize them.
Mr.. Pattee talked in a general fash.
ion on organization, quoting the New
England Milk Producers ASSOCIATION
fol example. He brought forth con
siderable applause when he said. III
you are going to be taxed to build a
business. be taxed so that you will
own the business which is put up. At
the time he was referring to the
special tax on every quart OF mix
sold, the Hood Co. of Boston using
4 the tax in the preparation OF new
quarters, so he said
Following this there was brief ex-
PLANTATION of the per cent OF butterlat
and solids necessary for acceptance In
the city. 1t appears in some insIanc-
es that the dealers fail to get the
milk as rich as they advertise. On
one instance month ago well
known milk firm, in sending out S
checks for the month of June, so
covered up the amount that the far
mers were actually paying for the
skim milk they had sent in, out OF ,he
money obtained from the buttertat.
Mr. Pattee's talk was necessarily
cut short through the necessity OF ms
catching the 9.55 train that night for
Rogton Immediately after his talk