Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1922-02-02


or care very much, what the great
world was doing. The result is that
the agricultural group Is almost as
much at a disadvantage In dealing with
other economic groups as the jay farm
er Of the funny pages in the hands OF
sleek urban confidence men, who sell
him acreage In Central Park or the
Chicago city hall. The leaders Of the
farmers thoroughly understand this.
and they are intelligently striving to
integrate their industry 50 that it will
be on an equal footing with other busi
nesseS.
AS an example of Indignation, take
the steel industry, in which the model
is the United States Steel Corporation,
with its iron mines, its coal mines, its
lake and rail transportation, its ocean
vessels, its by-product coke ovens, It's
blast furnaces, its open hearth and
BeSsemer furnaces, its rolling mills, its
tube mills and other manufacturing
processes that are carried to the high
est degree of finished production com
Spatible with the large trade it has
built up. All this is generally eonced-
ed to be to the advantage of the con
sumner. Nor does the steel corporation
inconsiderately dump its products on
the market. On the contrary, 1t so
acts that it is frequently a stabilizing
influence, as is often the case with 9th
er large organizations. 1t is master of
its distribution as well as of its pro-
| ductian If prices are not satisfactory
| the products are held back or produc-
| ton is reduced or suspended. 1t is not
| compelled to send a years work to the
| market at one time and take whatever
| it can get under such circumstances.
| 1t has one selling policy and its own
| export department. Neither are the
grades and qualities of steel determin
| ed at the caprice of the buyer, nor does
| the latter hold the scales In this sin
| gle Indignation of the steel corporation
| is represented about 40 per cent of the
| steel production of America. The rest
| is mostly in the hands of a few large
| companies In ordinary times the
steel corporation, by example, stabilizes
| all steel prices. If this is permissible
| lit is even desirable because stable
| and fair prices are essential to solid
| and continued prosperity why would
(, it be wrong for the farmers to utilize
central agencies that would have SINH
lar effects on agricultural products?
Something like that is what they are
| aiming at.
Some farmers favored by regional
| compactness and contiguity, such as the
| citrus-fruit-raiser of California, al
ready have found 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-
| sumer q reliable service of ensured
/ quality. certain supply, and reasonable
| and relatively steady prices. They
| have not found 1t necessary to resort
| to any special privilege, or to claim
| any exemption under the antitrust
| legislation of the state or nation. With
| out removing local control, they have
| built up very efficient marketing
| agency The grain, cotton, and to-
/ bacco farmers, and the producers of
| hides and wool, because of their num-
| bers and the vastness of their regions,
| and for other reasons, have found
| indignation more difficult task ;
| though there are now some thousands
| Of farmers cooperative elevators
warehouses, creameries, and other en-
terprises of one sort and another, with
| a turnover of q billion dollers a year
| They are giving the farmers business
experience and training, and, SC far
as they go, they meet the need of
| honest weighing and fair grading; but
they do not meet the requirements Of
nationally adjusted marketing ia any
| large and fundamental way.
The next step, which will be a pat
j tern for other groups, is now being
| prepared by the grain-raisers through
| the establishment Of sales media which
| shall handle grain separately or col
| lectively. as the individual farmer may
| elect 1t is this step-the plan of the
| Committee Of Seventeen-which has
| created so much opposition and is
| thought by some to be In conflict with
| the antitrust laws Though there Is
| now before congress a measure de
| signed to clear up doubt on this point.
/ the -dIc not relying Oh
| any immunity froL anti legiSla-
| ton. They DESIRE and they are en-
| titled. to coordinate their efforts just
| as effectively as the large business in
| terests of the country have done. In
| connection with the selling organiza-
| lions the United States Grain Growers
| Incorporated is drafting a scheme eff
| financing instrumentalities and auxiIi-
| airy agencies which are Indispensable
to the successful utilization of modern
| business methods
1t is essential that the farmers
should proceed gradually with these
| plans and aim to avoid the error Of
scrapping the existing marketing ma
| chinery, which has been SO laboriously
| built up by long experience, before
| they have tried and proved substi-
| tute or supplementary mechanism
| They must be careful not to become
| enmeShed in their own reforms and
lose the perspective of their place in
| the national system They must guard
against fanatical devotion TO new doc
trines, and should seek articulation
with the general economic system
rather than its reckless destruction as
it relates to them.
To take tolerant and sympathetic