The herald-advance. (Milbank, S.D.) 1890-1922, 1922-02-01
Some Aspects Of the
E6tmers Problems
s,Aa~ssgsERsARD Y. sARucH
- 49,
fRenrinted from Atlantic Monthly
tReprinted from Atlantic Monthly
RsBERNARD M. BARUCH

4
by 4 business world that has been
undetermined to the last minute and Is
tirelessly striving for efficiency. Tiiis
efficiency Is due In large measure to
Zig business, to united business, to In. |
teCrated business. The farmers now
seek the benefits Of such largeness. un.
ion and Indignation.
The American farmer Is a modern OF
the moderns In the use of labor saving
machinery, and be has made vast
strides In recent years In scientific
,illage and efficient farm management,
but as a business In contact with other.
businesses agriculture Is o lone horse
shay" In competition with high power
automobiles. The American farmer IL
the greatest and most lntractable Of
indiyidualists. While Industrial pro-
duction and all phases Of the huge com.
mercial ~rlechanlsm and Its myriad &C.
~cessorles have ~articulated and co-ordi.
mated themselves all the way from nat.
ural raw materials to retail sales, the
business Of agriculture has gone on In
much the one man. fashion OF the back.
woods OF the first part OF the nine
teenth century. when the farmer was
As IN example Of Indignation, take
the steel industry, In which the model
u the United States Steel Corporation.
with Its iron mines. Ito coal mines. its
lake and rail- transportation, Its ocean
vessels, ito ~by-product coke ovens, its
blast furnaces, Ito open hearth and
Bessemer furnaces, Its rolling mills. it,
tube mills and other manufacturing
processes that are carried TO the high
est degree Of finished production com
patible with the large trade 1t has
built up. All this Is generally conced-
ed to be to the advantage Of the con-
sumner. Nor does the steel corporation
tnconsiderately dump Its products on
the market. On the contrary. It 30
acts that It II frequently 4 stabilizins
influence, a. II often the case with 9TH
er large organizations. It Is master Of
It's distribution as well as Of Its pro-
ductioa. II prices are not satisfactory
the products are held back or produc.
ton Ii reduced or suspended. 1t II not
compelled to send 4 years work to the
market 1t one time and take whatever
It can get under such circumstances.
II has one selling policy and Its own
export department. Neither are the
grades and qualities Of steel determine
q ct the caprice Of the buyer, Q does
the latter hold the scales. In this sim
Gle indignation Of the steel corporation
10 represented about 40 per cent Of the
steel production Of America. The rest
II mostly In the hands. OF a few large
companies. Ia ordinary times the
steel corporation. by example. stablllzes
all steel prices. II this IS permissible
1T IS wen desirable, because stable
and fair prices are essential to solid
and continued prosperity Why would
Il be wrong Tor the farmers to utilize
central agencies that would have slmi-
lar effects on agricultural pr0ducts1
Something like that Is what they are
aiming At.
Some farmers favored by regional
compactness and ~contigulty, such as the
citrus-fruit-raisers OF, California, al
ready have found 4 way legally to
merge and sell their products inte-
orally and In accordance with seasonal
and local demand, thus improving
their position and rendering the con-
sumner reliable service Of ensured
quality, certain supply. and reasonable
and relatively steady prices. They
| hive not found It necessary to resort
10 any special privilege, OF tc claim
any exemption under the antitrust
legislation Of the state or nation. With
| out removing local control, they have
/ built up very elRclent marketing
aoeacy. The grain. cotton. and to-
bacco farmers. and the producers Of
hides and wool. because Of their ntun.
bers and the ~vastness Of their regions,
and for other reasons, have found
tntegfNtlon ! more dInlcult task
though there are now some thousand
OF farmers cooperative elevators,
warehouses, creamerIes. and other en-
terprlses Of one sort and another. with
1 turnover Or 4 billion doiiers ! year.
They AZ giving the farmers business
experience and training. and. 20 faf
as they go. they meet the need Of
honest weighing and fair grading : bui
they dO not meet the requirements oi
rafionally adjusted marketing In any
large and fundamental way.
The next step, which will be ! pat,
tern Tor other groups. Is now being
prepared by the grain-ralsers through
the establishment Of sales media which
shall bundle grain separately or col
iectlyely. assthe individual farmer may
elect. It's this step-the plan Of The
Committee Of Seventeen-which has
created 80 much opposition and Il
thought ~ soma to BE- In conflict With
the antl-trust laws. Though there Il
now before congress q measure de.
signed 20 clear up doubt On this point,
IA rrain-pfoducers m not relying On
I1snn1ty ers@ aati-trnst segisla-
et1as Ihey desire. and they are en-.
.tltlsd = coordinate their efforts Just