Imperial Valley press., 1921-12-28
WEATHER CUTS
BUSINESS DOWN
IN HAY MARKET
Year Closes Without Solution
of Farmers Most Serious
Problem Being Found

The continuous and exceptionally
heavy rains of the past week inter-
fered considerably with business in al
falfa hay; track arrivals of lots put in
transit before the gains, and for
which buyers were waiting, could not
be moved until near the end of the
week and then only in part, while
country loadings of new shipments
were stopped almost completely. New
loadings will probably continue light
for some time, as only a relatively
small part of the supplies left in the
hands of growers are stored in barns,
and stacks will not be opened for
baling while the present unsettled
weather continues.
Many of the users and dealers have
not prepared this year for a long
rainy spell; they did not lay in the
usual reserve supply and have been
buying only for their immediate re-
quirements. They will probably make
efforts now to be better prepared dur
ing the balance of the season. Bust
ness for the week was mostly confin-
ed to that in spot lots, there being
very few offerings from growers for
prompt shipment.
The year closes without any ma
terial progress having been made in
the solution of the most serious prob
lem facing the farmers of the coun-
try, and indirectly all other interests
that of the great discrepancy in
prices between what the farmer has
to sell and what he has to buy.
The cause of this discrepancy is un-
doubtedly to a large extent to be
found in the heavy taxes land inter-
est, besides his own, which the far
mer has to pay. Manufacturers, rail
roads, merchants, ETC., all add their
taxes and interest overhead" to their
prices and thus pass it on from one to
the other until it reaches the farmer,
who pays for all in the prices for
what he has to buy. The farmer is
the last man in the line and cannot
pass these charges on because under
the existing marketing system his cost
of production is not taken into con-
sideration at all in the fixing of
prices for his products.
The solution of the problem would
therefore seem to depend on the find
ing of marketing method by which
his cost of production is the princi-
pal price determinin gfactor. So far
lit has not been possible to find a
general solution along this line. A
partial relief has, however, been made
possible by cooperative marketing
1t cannot be denied that where farm
products have been marketed by CO.
operative growers associations, the
prices obtained have usually been ma
terially better than where they were
marketed without such associations
and, generally speaking, these prices
were comparatively best where these
Associations were strongest in mem
bership and efficient management.
We do not claim that cooperative
marketing alone will bring back pros
perity to the farmers of the country;
in fact, we do not belief it will, but
we feel sure that without cooperative
marketing their fight for existence
will be all the harder and the final
outcome all the more doubtful.
There were 1900 tons of grain and
alfalfa received on the Los Angeles
tracks the week ending December "a
with $40 tons held over.
Prevailing prices last week, deliver
ed in the vicinity of Los Angeles: No
/ dairy, $24; standard, $3.50.
Prevailing prices last week f. o. b
San Francisco: No. l dairy, $40
standard SIG