The producers news. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1918-1937, 1920-03-26

tn epeaslml4tlc ana tulu
farmer. Yet, ,nhampered by adverse
and not hamstrung by the
possibility of costly litigation, ana
with all the advantages 50 clear ana
convincing, it was often impossible to
;nd,ce a Sufficient number Of farmers
out of hundred Of we'll situated
farmers to organize Union.
What chance has organization un.
der the weight Of the heavy hand o.,
law, unustly placed on farmers !
None. The growth and progress 20, OF
orranization will be stifled. The
farmer is a good fighter and will
stand his own ground on his farm,
hut in matters of business he is easily
inundated and coerced. Let IT be-
come known that farmers organlza-
tions-those Of the business variety,
are subject to the antitrust law, anu
farmers, rather than fight for prln-
ciple and right, will withdraw from,
their Unions, and none can be found
to fill the gaps.
The opponents Of cooperation
among farmers desire to prevent the
farmers from controlling the MARKERS.
Seemingly they do so to protect the
American public against the farmers
who might become very arbitrary, II
thew controlled the markets. In reall-
ty, very frequently, the gentlemen, SO
solicitous about the welfare OF the
public, mean to keep the markets I'M
der their control and derive the bene-
fits thereof.
The position of those who speculate
in food stuffs and who are openly
charged with profteering, is very
dangerous at this very moment. Farm
ers and laborers are getting together
and coming to that understanding,
dhich artfully was prevented so far:
When laborers begin to see that the
farmer is selling hogs below $i5
hundred, while he is charged with S4O
for pork, they comprehend that some
thing is wrong. Sugar costs more
than zoe a uonnd today; farmers re-
ceived $40 for a ton of sugar beets,
testing about Is per cent and yielding
no to 800 pounds of sugar per ton;
there is difference of about $50 be-
tween the beet price and the price of
sugar obt aimed from the beets. Who
gets it? Mr.. Farmer pays. price
for a ton Of dried beet pulp, which
about covers the cost Of manufacur-
ing the sugar, and besides he pays
the freight on the beets. Mr.. Farm
er sold the bulk of his wheat at the
; government price last fall, and flour
prices were quoted in accordance:
|. NOW the price of wheat has mounted
/ to So, very little of it is sold, ex-
, cept on paper, and -four prices are
quoted in accordance with the higher
T wheat values, of which farmers have
} nothing, excepting, perhaps, the re-
I greet that they did not hold on to
their wheat and sought to control the
I market for higher prices. The state
5 owned little mill at Drake, North Da-
kota, conducted expermentally on the
= basis of the big mills at Minneapolis
: netted the state over $2,O 900 in one
: month and promises to yield profit
8 of $1,000 in year, whereas the same
a mill cost the state (under nonpartl-
. san government) only $4,000. Mr..
v Farmer sold the woll at 5O-6Oc a
y mound. if he or the laborer in the city
n purchases a suit of clothes, he buys
the wool back at $3.50 a. pound.
q Something wrong! :,
y farmers ne iNDIVIDUALLY and ar
u range for shipments of food, nor can
; the farmer 20 to the laborers 1NDl-
= VIDUALLY to bargain with him. It
. must be done collectively, and to dc
it. organizations are needed. The
e selling agency of the farmers. ant
- the buying agency Of the !aborers
:, must transact the business: 10 pre-
y vent such agencies, or to null1ty them
,. is to keep the tillers Of the soil ant
= the laborers of the factories foreve
> in the clutches of profteering BIZ
Biz.
!. In Canada they are doing this yer!
differently. Twelve years ago, Tn
| United Grain Growers were organ nv
1
members at this time; every thlr
farm owner or tenant in the tire
prairie provinces of Alberta, Manit
and Saskatchewan is member. IN
paid-up capitalization is three millio
dollars, the reserve fund is over tw
million dollars, and the assets ar
more than II million dollars. Ten pc
cent dividends were paid to the share
: holders in 1918. This organizatio
transacts an annual business of MOI
than 81 900 900, 900, and is unmoleste
: bv unwise laws. The organization
the outgroWth of many injustice
which were heaped on the early SCI
tiers who came to Canada to till tn
soil and make the Dominion the
home. 1t has done more for agricu
ture in Canada and the agricutnr
development of Canada than any oil
err institution. Canaua api,iec'.tI>
the work and worth of the farmer
and therefore, ASSISTS them in the
efforts, RATHER than |NfERFEk
with their business.
That similar conditions do NO
prevail in the United States, IS III
to the fact that farmers organic
tions have been discouraged genera
~. Every ruse was resorte'l to,
intimidate the farmers Of this con
try. The organizations we're diverse
accused of being "masonic,' "soci;
istic" and monopolistic. Instead
encouraging farmers to Join and b
come active in their own and t
country's behalf, they were held
bay-and Big Biz reaped the henet
Sharp-edged laws may retar'l l.
onward march of cooperative farl
ers, but stop it, you cant, BEGAN
farmers are beginning to "see thr'u.
the wool that was pulled over the