Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1921-01-19
ENAIOR GAflDRl ID
DISCUSSES MARKETING
III. st. Paul, MINI, January Is. ~:

4 81 81. st. Paul, MINI, January 10, a.:
To Editor Willmar Tribune: 49, 4:
Is may be Of interest to the read,
ers q your paper to3learn something
relative to some Of the measures that
are most seriously considered for Leg
islative enactment this session. s have.
most particularly In mind the most
important. measures agreed to by the
joint committee of the House and SEN
ate pertaining to agricultural affairs
of which committee I am member.
In this issue shall confine myself
to $ bill for an act declaring Cham
bers OF Commerce, Boards Of Trade
or Exchanges where the members
thereof deal or trade in grain, live
stock, or other farm products to be
public markets, ETC." A copy OF this
bill liz. herewith attached for publica-
ton. This is one of the bills pro
posed to help simplify the marketing
machinery for the farmer. It is need
less TO call attention to the great li:
faculties under which the farmer la
borsi In. his attempts to market his
products. The years since the war
have brought that fact wildly home
to the consumer. The consumers have
paid high prices for the necessities OF
life while the farmers have certainly
not been getting their share of the
consumers dollars. The whole nation
is apparently now as never before in
its history concerned about the vel
fare of the farmer, for the simple rea
son that it is to the nation a question
of self.preservation. Agriculture, is
the basis of all our prosperity. PEG
pie seemed to begin to realize this
more :keenly than before during the
war. Then the cry was, Food will
win the war;" The people seemed tc
begin to think more of the men who
produced the food. Before that time
not SO much attention was given tc
what was back of the markets. They
unless the producers can get a fail
reward for their labor and Investment
the food supply must suffer and the
cost of living mount still higher. In
vestigations have shown time and ag
ain that the big share of the consum
ers' dollars goes to the middle-men
Distribution is the real core Of the
farm problem. How to eliminate the
waste that goes on between the time
that the product leaves the farm and
appears on the consumers table II
the main question. Very often far
mer finds a whole seasons labor ani
investment going for nothing. He has
little voice in establishing the price
because price is determined by vari
atipnS. in supply, to fluctuations IL
average, and to artificial conditions
created by the distributors. Condi
lions are such that the time has come
for thoro reorganization of the bust
ness. of selling farm products. In or
der to do this we must for the pres
ent at least rely on existing agencies
exchanges, boards of trade or thu
Chambers Of Commerce. But all THU
marketing machinery must be demo
zed~;:made to serve not the in
tereAts Of individuals but the inter
eStSo OF producers anu consumers. NO
only the farmers of Minnesota but O
the whole nation are demanding tina
the machinery of marketing their pro
ducts shall not be prostituted to spec
ulative methods for the purpose O
enriching cerain private individuals O.
swelling the gains of corporations
Such ends can only be gained by in
telligent legislation. For this reaso,
the situation demands a law providing
that Chambers of Commerce, Boards
of trade and exchanges be declared
public markets where any farmer o.
association comparatively of farmer
can secure membership and thus b,
enabled to sell their products from
the local markets and get a fair re
turn. The Cooperative Law passet
in 1919 is being amended to permit
local cooperative companies to fed
crate or form themselves as centrh
selling or marketing agency on al
equal footing with other corporations
and it also authorizes central or stat,
cooperative associations to federat'