Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1922-01-23
PROPER MARKETING LAW
is SOUGHT IN HOUSE BILL
Measure, Backed by the Farm.
crs' Union, Will Be In
,roduced Today.
MAJOR LEGISLATIVE ENpEAvon
This Has Rrcn w~nk Spot In Busi-
meas Of Man who TIL. Soil. Saw
\. q. 'rhomnS. Agent for Co-orcra-
tive body.

Q. y. Thomas. Legislative aGcn: for
the Farmers Educational and CO.
Operative Union OF Nirr inia. will have
the cooperative marx citing bill in
troduccd In the House Of Delegates
this morning, The Farmers Union.
the Farm Bureau. and such commodity
organizations as the tobacco and pea
nut associations, the truckers, dairy
men and fruit growers have selected
as their major legislative endeavor
tho securing OF AN adequate cooper
ating marketing law.
In discussing the bill last night Mr.
Thomas said: Marketing their prod
ucts has been tho weak spot in the
farmers business endeavorS. They
have produced food stun In abundance
hut have seemed always to feel that
the marketing OF ii after they had
raised IL was the function OF some
other group or class OF people. While
one cannot carry across the road or
stree; enough green hides to get
enough money TO buy good pair OF
shoes, the public is still paying rela-
lively high prices for the shoes. The
smoker OF cigarettes pays for them at
the rate OF about $3.50 per pound.
while the farmer. IL he is lucky. gets
the so cents OH; Of IL and some one
else gets the So The best suit OF
not more than six pounds OF the wool
as the farmer grows II. for which
he receives. perhaps. SI.20: the man
who buys the sui; pays from $40 TO
Sl00 for it,
Cannot Stop When Prices Drop.
at IL with these conditions in mind
that the farmers have come to believe
that there Is 4 better way to market
their commodities than the one they
M in, tInf
there must be some way in which or
by which the producer and the con-
sumner may get closer together Taken
as broad general principle the farm
crs cannot control the volume OF their
production. This is true. because.
unlike manufacturers, they cannot
stop whenever prices drop: IL takes
the entire season to produce Il crop.
aud production will go on whether
prices go UP or down. Tho farmce;'
only hope of .improv and stabilizinE
the marketing Of their commodities.
and the prices they receive, is In
establishing better and more direct
system OF getting their products to
tho consumer.
We have come TO believe that this
can only be accomplished by the farm
crs associating themselves into groups
or companies. so that relatively large
numbers Of them may combine their
individual amounts into a large
amount and thereby go further along
the way to the consumer. In the mat
ter of food stuffs the farmers believe
that their cooperative cndeavors
should be met at the corporate limits
az the towns by Il cooperative asso-
citation of consumers, so that the large
spread between what the producer
gets aud the consumer pays. may he
reduced materially and then divided
between them.
Authority far Associations.
In order that this system may be
property established. IL is desired to
secure Il law that shall provide in
considerable detail authority. or more
definite authority, for the establish
ment Of these marketing associations
among the farmers
the final meeting OF the repre-
scntativcs OF the Interested organi-
cations was held on February H.
AZ which time the final touches were
gwen the marketing bill To former
Governor Henry c. Stuart and myself
MAS delegated the work of having the
hill introduced in the House and Sen
ate. securing the patrons ana CO.
patrons, and following il in it's course
through the Assembly.
That this is not q new idea in
law making is shown In the fact that
Jaws very like II ara. in force in
North Carolina and I$cntNcky Michi-
gan. Minnesota. Iowa. Kansas Ore
Gon and California have laws provid-
ing for cooperative marketing OF
farm products