Sioux County pioneer. (Fort Yates, Sioux County, N.D.) 1914-1929, 1922-02-02
Some Aspects Of the
Farmers Problems
Reprinted from Atlantic Monthly
By BERNARD M. BARUcHs

Nv s,5
Now, what Is the. farmer, asking!
Without trying to catalogue tll.> re-
medal measures that have been sug-
gested in his behalf, the principal pro,
posals that bear directly on the i'm
provement of his distributing and mar
ketiRg relations may be summarized rs
fullows:-
First: storage warehouses for cot
ton, wool, and tobacco. and elevators
for grain, of sufficient capacity to. meet
the maximum demand on them at the
| peak Of the marketing period. The
farmer thinks that either private capt.
tai must furnish these facilities, or the
! state must erect and own the eleva-
tors and warehouses.
Second: weighing and grading of
agricultural products, and certification
thereof, to be done by impartial and
dislnterested public inspectors (this is
already accomplished to some extent
by the federal licensing of weighers
and graders), to eliminate underpay-
ing, overchargfng, and unfair grading,
and to facilitate the utilization Of the
| stored products as the basis of credit.
Third: a certainty Of credit sufficient
to enable the marketing Of products
in an orderly manner.
Fourth: the Department OF Agrlcul-
ture should collect, tabulate, sunma-
rize, and regularly and frequently pub.
fish anG distribute to the farmers, full
information from all the markets of
the world. so that they shall be as well
Informed Of their selling position. as
buyers now are OF their buying posi-
ti0n.
Fifth freedom to integrate the bust
ness of agriculture by means of con
solidated selling agencies, co-ordnat-
ing and cooperating in such way as to
put the farmer on an equal footing
with the large buyers of his products.
and with commercial relations In other
industries,
When business requires specialized
talent, It has to buy it. 90 will the
farmers; and perhaps the best way for.
them to get It would be to utilize some
Of the present machinery Of the larg-
est established agencies dealing In.
farm products. OF course, IL he wishes,
the farmer may go further ana engage
In floqr-milling and other manufactures
Of food products. In my opinion,
!. however, he would be wise to- stop
short Of that. Public interest may he
opposed to oil great lntegrations hut,
in justice, should they be forbidden to
the farmer and permitted to Others?
Fhe corporate form Il association can.
; not now be wholly adapted to his OBJ
jects and conditions. The leeser cp-
operative form seems more generally
suitable. Therefore, he wishes to be
free. II he finds It desirable sand feas-
ible, to resort to corporation with his
fellows and peighbors, without run
ming afoul of the law. To urge tint.
the farmers should have the same lib-
ssrty ito consolidate and eo-arflinate
their peculiar economic, FUNCTIONS.
which; other industries In their aehls
enjoy, is. not, however, to concede that
any business Indignation should have.
Legislative sanction to exercise ppr,p-.
xolistic: power. The American neople
are as firmly opposed To Industrial MS
ito political autocraey, whether at.
tempted BY rural or BIZ urban industry:
~ For lack Of united effort the farmers
an "a whole are still marketing their
crops by antiquated methods. OF iy no
methods atnll, but they aFe surrounded;
by husiness world TINT has q been;
mo dernized to the last minute mud 4 II
tirelessly striving for efacieney. THIS
eficiency is due in large measure 10
|gbig business to united business,N To In!
|Stegrate4 business. The farmers now;
seek the ibenefi Of SUCH larg epess,, unSF
lon and iategratieB. 3 4. zs5;sss3S III q
Fhes 4 ericaR farmer Ism mod ernof
the motlsrns In tts use of lab id sayina;
machinery, md Fe has ll,asl vast
strides In gent years tn acientifts
|#tltla age and Fitlclent farm ma nag enIc,li
Int as a business In contact with tll,er
hysi neasrs agifeultare II ii .ane$ horse
skAy'. eoplpet itien With lilgh power
|gaut0mpbtl es. The 4AlRsri can, fagIneF Is
tho greatest and most intiactable Of.
|findiylduaiists WI: les Industrial pro;
4 duct I'm. and MI phnses of the huge com;
Inefclal ecllanisnl aiil iliNriatl acS
cessOrles have 3ar slaulats "a md cD-Ortiis
mated themselves NIL the WY frorl rs,
Es,ts NV; ma ~ tQ zesall % Yes 3 !: i