Clearwater Republican. [volume] (Orofino, Idaho) 1912-1922, 1921-04-08
new MARKETPLAN
T0C|vf FARMERS
GREATER RETURNS
Proposed Plan Will Provide
Stable Grain Market,
Gustafson Says.

marketing plan az proposed by the
Farmers Grain Marketing Committee
Of Seventeen, according to c. H.. Gus
tafson, chairman Of the committee.
|, The committee 10 to meet in CHICAGO
with representatives Of grain growing
districts Of the. country for ratifica.
ton Of the proposed national market.
ing plan recommended. There will
be representatives present from
Washington, Oregon and Idaho.
Mr.. Gustafson was in the north
west short time ago, attending the
meeting of the Washington Farm
Bureau association, and made the fol
lowing statements concerning the pro.
posed plan of grain marketing:
Every man engaged in growing
grain of any kind for market seems
to be primarily interested in the
savings that can be effected when
the new cooperative grain marketing
plan, proposed by the farmers grain
marketing committee of seventeen, is
finally in operation. This fact has
been evident at every one of the
meetings held in the important grain
states.
Farmers have been marketing
grain in haphazard fashion which
has operated to return the minimum
rather than the maximum of it's
we have marketed approximately rs
per cent of our wheat within four
months after harvest. Orderly mar
keting. as has been frequently men,
toned in connection with the mar
keting plan Of the committee Of sew
enteen, refers to the possibility,
under the proposed marketing pro-
gram, of marketing only such part of
the grain each week or month as Is
actually needed for consumption.
Grains so marketed will meet cash
prices with cash grain and break the
chain of marginal speculation which
has heretofore levied heavy tribute
on growers of grain.-
"a stable market, one that Is free
from violent fluctuations, Is a most
important element which underlies
the whole marketing plan. Most Of
the grief and dissatisfaction resulting
from our present marketing system
can be attributed to our unstable
some reasonable assurance that the
market will not drop to ruinOus
figure and the miller and wholesaler
can also be reasonably sure that the
market will not advance by leaps and
bounds, an element of safety and
saneness will have been introduced
in grain marketing that will be gen
orally satisfactory.
Finance Essential. :-:-s
Financing a farmers marketing
plan is the first essential factor in
the form of subsidiary service cor
porations to be considered when we
aspire to-. orderly marketing of our
grain. Finance has ever been the
bugaboo in farmers marketing or
CARNATIONS for although the farmer
is the source of approximately one
half of the wealth of the United
States, adequate provision has never
been made to carry his credit. Only
IA per cent Of the paper discounted
by the federal reserve system last
fall was agricultural paper and al
though the farmer had no alternative
but to sell his products on ruinous
market, insistent demands were
made for liquidation. I: W. e.
IF the farmer is now to enter the
markets, and see for himself that
his business interests are protected,
he must safeguard his commercial
transactions with a strong financial
institution that will protect agricul-
tural interests and not fail him in
time of stress.
IAN large industrial and CONNER
cial interests such as Oil, steel, rail
roads, boards OF trade and large
manufacturers, either own or control
their own finance corporations or f.
nance Institutions. The farmers have
no desire to conduct a banking insti-
tuition, but finance corporation
which will sell short time securities,
based on actual quantities of grain in
storage, will be able to furnish the
credit facilities that are open to other
important industrial. enterprises.
There is no better basis for credit
in the world than wheat and other
grain foods, because humanity is de-
pendent upon food for its existence.
Credit based ON that security is as
good as gold and does not involve a
risk.
"A farmers finance corporation
which will uniformly furnish such
credit to grain growers at uniform
rate of interest will represent saw
ings that will materially affect aver
age prices. In addition, it will lend
feeling Of safety, assurance and dig
nifty to agriculture that cannot be
measured in dollars and cents.
Action Needed.
"The farmer can no longer wait for
others to perform the task for him.