Free trader-journal and Ottawa fair dealer. (Ottawa, Ill.) 1920-1927, 1921-08-02

In view of the many distortions
which have appeared in print, great
many readers of newspapers probably
will be surprised to learn the true pur.
pose OF the Grain Dealers National
association at this time in warning
farmers against pooling their grain
Tts purpose is purely educational,
II Is only incidental that this purpose
at the present ne runs counter u
the organization which has embarked
on the greatest pooling scheme ever
attempted. Apparently no lesson has
been learned by some of our farmers
and it certainly is ignored by the
proponents OF the scheme-from the
failure of the wool pool, the collapse
OF cooperative packing house enter
prises and the crash OF the Non-Partl-
san League in North Dakota.
Even il IL succeeded in organizing
q pool OF grain crops as economically
as they are marketed under the exist,
ing system. However, this is not
generally known. The public for gen
erations has been allowed to absorb
INSTRUMENTATION about the grain trade
and the iyicaSis very widespread that
there are immense middlemen proiitS
which by the cooperative method VIII
be returned to the grower.
Nothing could be further from the
truth. The Intermediary profits IN
the handling OF grain are the smallest
in this country OF anywhere in int
world. Ignorance of this has pro
vided the opportunity for the theorist
from time to time to promote all
sorts of schemes in which the farmer
provides the sinews Of war and the
organizer draws salary until the IN
variable crash comes.
The boldness and the immense
sums Of money involved in the latest
dream of pooling has awakened the
grain trade to the necessity OF frank
communication with the public, not
only as to itself but as to the very
real and very imminent peril which
confronts the farmers and the public
at present. Nothing more true has
been printed than the statement OF
the editor Of the, Prince Current Grain
Reporter that the grain trade has lit.
tie to fear from the so-called co-opera,
tives. 1t has nothing to fear except
the temporary losses which 1t must
sustain in common with the rest OF
the country when the inevitable col
lapse of the present cooperative eX'
pertinent comes.
Hence this is the subject with
which our campaign OF education
must deal first. 1t Is hoped thus to
contine the disaster to mere localities.
II it were permitted TO become really
national in scope its collapse would
rhake the world. This is not an ex-
aggerated statement. The grain crops
OF our country are worth. let US say,
$4,000 ,000, 600 year. 1t is desired to
pool them all for period CT live
years, which suggests the tidy little
sum of $25 900 100000. The collapse
Of any scheme involving even per
cent of this sum wCuli be a national
disaster The sum of $3.50, 900, which
we are attempting to raise and which
has been blaEoned about the coun-
try as a slush fund, appears rather
small in comparison with the figures
previously mentioned When the
present crisis has passed our educa-
tional work will continue until the
pubic ~ tllul ouSHiy iuihiiiAi WIN WV
really remarkable machine which
handles the grain between grower and
consumer. Beguiling the farmer then
will be more difficult for those who
capitalize ignorance, indifference or
discomfort to further their own amb!
lions.
The question naturally arises as to
why we are so certain of the collapse
of the present scheme. 1t is certain
In the first place because the co-opera-
tive method Is more expensive than
private enterprise, The Equity Elk
change of st. Paul, Mimi, is a coop
crative proposition which has been in
operation for fifteen years. If II could
return more to the farmer than he
gets through the Minneapolis Cham
Der of Commerce surely the latter
would have been out of business long
ago The Equity Exchange controls
line of elevators, yet does less than
10 per cent of the business OF the
Twin Cities. Members OF the cham
Der of commerce very gleefully buy
from the Equity Exchange grain
which they sell for higher figure on
the Minneapolis market The mem
bers of the Minneapolis market oper-
ate more economically and can afford
TO pay more for grain. In other
words, growers who sell through the
Equity Exchange get less for their