The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1921-01-24

grain marketing conditions and to rec
ommend sound plan for selling the
farmers products SO that he would
get a fair price that would pay his
costs and so that the consumer would
not be overcharged. ~
ITO my mind. any such plan, to be
successful, would require that we
keep control of the grain clear down
the line until 1t is in the hands of the
consumer That would mean that we
must own the marketing machinery.
We are often asked what we can do
about the Spectator. I think he is the
least of our worries. He is the one to
worry. If we keep the grain in our
own hands, he will have nothing to
speculate on.
I'VE have made a start in owning
the machinery by not only building
our cooperative elevators. as you have
here, but also in having a commission
since September Is. In addition We
have connections at Cincinnati, Balu-
more, Philadelphia, Pittsburg, Buffalo.
Cleveland and Detroit, and three or
four firms in Chicago want our bust
ness.
Farmers Should Organize.
All tAdt necessary now, IL SAC
farmer really wants anything better
than he has had, is to use the methods
his own organizations have developed,
and to get behind those organizations.
He should join his cooperative ele-
vator or any other farm organization
in his community, even il II costs him
a hundred or two hundred dollars.
understand that the farm bureau will
let him join here in Indiana for IS.
That is cheaper than any other state
in this section. In Ohio it costs SO to
join the bureau, and in Illinois they
charge SIS. Indiana is the only one
as cheap as IS but still the farmers
here seem slow to join. The trouble is
that the farmer underestimate his
occupation and his business ability
He thinks that he can't do business as
we'll as others can and he expects
these ventures to fail. If he didn't.
he'd join the organizations. Instead.
very often he says he will wait until
it is a success and then join. There
are great many Indiana farmers from
Missouri.
Yet we can do business. Our ele
vators prove it. In my home town,
Wolcott, there were three elevators
sending out 100000 bushels year.
The farmers elevator in its first year
had an increase of 100000 bushels
over the previous year and sent out
$50, 900 bushels. The next year one
of the other elevators offered to sell
out to US. And We handled that extra
grain with only one extra man.
Takes Up Rate Increase.
Our other organizations are already
successful, too, and are saving us
. =
saved to the middle west when the Is
per cent rate increase was defeated
and that was only done by the evil
dence presented by the cooperative
elevators association. Again, when
the railroads asked that they be guar
anteed six pre- cent return on their
| investment, the Farm Bureau Fedora
tion had Clifford Thorne go before the
Interstate Commerce Commission and
show that their valuation was too high
and get it cut down $4,000, 0O0,0 900. Six
per cent of that makes a pretty good
sum and we would have had to pay il
| if it had not been for our organization.
Mr.. McCullom explained the meth
cd of pooling fertilizer orders and of
! buying fertilizer. with which Wayne
county farmers are already familiar.
In speaking of the savings possible,
| McCullom said, "One saving will be
! in the jobers' commissions, and an
other in salesmen's expenses and SAL
! aries. If all orders are placed through
the state office there will be no need
! for them any longer. One asked me
the other day, Are you going to put
us All out of business. Mac?' l re-
piled, No, we are just going to change
your occupation"
New Directors Elected.
! McCullom spoke for two hours and
twenty-five minutes, and enjoyed the
! interested attention of his audience
! for the whole time. When he finished
speaking several of those present
asked questions about points which
they had not understood.
| The reports of the secretary and
treasurer were given at the morning
session, and three new directors, E.
p Cramps. Harry Smith and Arville
session after McCullom's speech. The
treasurer report was regarded as cs-
pecially encourag ing, as it showed a
! net profit for the year, not always the
case with ordinary business this year,
and rare feature in cooperative bus
, inesses. There was a loss on some
lines carried, and no big profit on any.
, but the business as q whole showed
enough returns to pay six per cent
! on the stock and have a surplus left.
! This surplus, it was determined,
should be left in the treasury as a
reserve, instead of being paid out in
patronage dividends.
| At noon a dinner was served by
the Home Culture club of Center
township. About sixty were served
and s24 realized.