Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1920-06-18
CANADIAN GRAIN
GROWERS STUDY WHEAT
MARKETING PLAN


the following analysis of the plan
for the cooperative marketing Of
wheat, written by r. d. Colquette:
Those who attended the U. F. A..
convention in Calgary last winter
will remember A. A Elmore, presi-
dent of the Farmers Union of the
state of Washington, who brought
greetings from the farmers south of
the line to the farmers of western
Canada.
Mr.. fillmore is a live wire OF high
voltage He is specially interested in
the welfare of the wheat growers Of
the Inland Empire, which consists of
Idaho, and large wheat-growing dis
tricts in eastern Washington and Ore
gon. This great section is separated
from the eastern wheat markets by
a range of the Rockies, which adds
high grades to a long haul The nat
ural outlet is to the Pacific coast,
where a local market and shipping
facilities to the Orient and through
the Panama canal are provided or IN
prospect The commercial interests
of the farmers of the Inland Empire
ignore state boundaries and are Il
striking example of the fact that the
political subdivisions of country
are not always drawn with due re-
gard for the natural divisions into
which its soil and climate divide it.
The wheat marketing facilities of
the Inland Empire are not all that
could be desired from the farmers
viewpoint. True, there have been
considerable number of local CO.
operative warehousing associations
organized, but there has been little
or no coordination between them,
and things seem to be fairly salts
factory to the big wheat and milling
interests. Mr.. Elmore has been try
ing to find the remedy for this state
OF affairs. Things looked rather
murky and hopeless.
They looked murky and hopeless
until one day last winter. He was in
Portland, Ore, and was pacing the
lobby of a hotel, waiting for train.
Passing by the door of one of the as
sembly rooms he noticed a sign which
stated that a cooperative meeting of
fruit growers was going on inside.
Cooperation means come in" to Ell
more, and in he went. There he
found Aaron Sapiro, attorney for
some of the cooperative associations
OF California, explaining the cooper
alive plan for marketing farm pro-
ducts. That is the idea for us"
said Gilmore, and negotiations for
getting Sapiro to address the annual
convention of the Farmers Union at
Spokane were undertaken.
When Sapiro landed in Spokane it
was with a working plan TO, the
wheat growers in his pocket. His
plan went over at the convention
with a bang. 1t was thoroughly dis
cussed by the delegates, and before
they were through they had decided
TO proceed in applying the California
IDEA IN the marketing of tehir wheat.
PRESIDENT Gilmore was authorized to
appoint an organization committee
OF 10 members, "for the express pur-
pose of initiating and developing a
loea IN the marketing of their wheat
growers into cooperative marketing
associations, whereby their wheat
VIII be handled on a cooperative
basis for the benefit of the produc-
ers and ultimately the consumers"
Some news of these plans had
reached the Guide. and on my trim
through the Pacific states it was
planned that l should investigate
what was being done and see how
the scheme was going over. spo-
kane, where the committee has ia Of
fices, is the center of the movement
When reached Yakima, on nv
Journey across from Seattle, and had
still half the state between me and
spokane began hearing of the
plan. The farmers were talking of
IT, and the county agent was enthusi-
astle about it. It began to feel as
II there was something doing. So
when | reached Spokane I was not
long in making my way to the offices
OF the Farmers Union. and the wheat
Organization committee. I arranged
10 &C out with Mr. EImore to one of
ms organization meetings at a place
called Fairfield, in the famous Pa
louise district, whose bald. rounded
hills of volcanic ash produce some
wonderful crops OF wheat.