St. Johnsbury Caledonian. (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1920-1920, 1920-08-25
FARMERSARE
URGED TO
ORGANIZE!

That in, future years the tanners
who are unorganized will have to get
out of business was the statemo mt
made by +. S. Adams. president of
the New England Milk Producers as
ISOLATION, in his talk before me farm-
ers of Barre and vicinity in Rowland
hall last night. 1t is up to the farm
crs, he insisted, to get together and
own the machinery of distribution of
their products rs well as the machin-
cry of production, and in this way do
away with the middloman.
Richard Pattee, managing director
OF the same association, and second
speaker OF the evening, devoted HIM
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 at the present time. Hi
main aim was to show the policy that
must be followed in a new organ!za-
ton such as the Ole under discussion
is, especially in regard to- determ ming
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 impGr-
tant above all others, was a point
stressed by him through his speech.
There was large crowd of local
farmers who attended the meeting.
NJ. L. Towne presided.
Mr.. Adams declared the trouble IN
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-
sumcr'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 buyin" system
in vogue there. There are both CEN
trail and local branches. One man
is hired to act as the head Of tho
main agency and it is his duty to
know the product he buys thorough
ly. If he is the grain buyer he is a
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 jobbcr, the whole
saler and the retailer.
The organization OF tie 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 a 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 enume:-
ated the necessities required for Il
successful organization. Sufficie mt
time must be given for the new ven
ture to find its feet, a good price must
be paid for Il good manager, the Of
fcers must be trusted, and the men,
bers must make efforts to remedy
faults rather than sit around and crit /
icize them.
Mr.. Pattee talked in general fash.
ion on organization, quoting the New
England Milk Producers association
for example. He brought forth con-
applause when he said. off
you are going to be taxed to bui d a
business. he 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 milk
sold, the Hood Co. of Boston using
the tax in the preparation of new
quarters, so he said.
Following this there was a brief ex-
PLANTATION of the per cent of buttcrfat
and solids necessary for acceptance in
the city. 1t appears in some insIanc-
es that the dealers fail to get the