The Glenwood post., 1922-01-26
(Continusd)


The American farmer Is 4 modern OF
the moderns In the use Of labor saving
machinery, and he has made vast
strides In recent years In scientific
tillage and efficient farm management,
but AZ 4 business in contact with other
businesses agriculture is a zone horse
shay" In competition With high power
automobiles. The American farmer Il
the greatest and most intractable Of
individualists. While Industrial pro-
duction and all phases Of the huge COM
mercial mechanism and Its myriad &C.
cessories 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 nrst part Of the nine
teenth century. when the farmer was
self sufficient and did not depend upon,
Of care very much. what the great
world was doing. The result is that
the agricultural group is almost as
much at disadvantage In dealing with
ether economic groups as the jay farm
q 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 so that 1t will
be on an equal footing with other busi-
nesses.
As an example of integration, 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, its
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.
patible with the large trade 1t has
built up. All this Is generally conced
ed to be to the advantage of the con-
sumer Nor does the steel corporation
inconsiderately dump Its products on
the market. On the contrary, 1t SO
acts that 1t Is frequently stabIlizing
influence, as is often the case with 9TH
er large organizations. 1t Is master of
Its distribution as well as of its pro-
duction. II prices are not satisfactory
the products are held back or produc-
tIon is reduced or suspended. 1t Is not
compelled to send years work to the
market at one time and take whatever
1t Gun get under such circumstances.
It 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 sim
gle integration of the steel corporation
Is represented about 40 per cent of the
steel production of America. The rest
Is mostly in the hands of few large
companies. In ordinary times the
steel corporation. by example, stabilizcs
all steel prices. II this is permissible
Ut 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 simi-
lar effects on agricultural products?
Something like that Is what they are
aiming at.
Some farmers favored by regional
compactuess and cOntlguity, such as the
citrus-frlit-raisers OF California, al
ready have found a way legal. to
merge and sell their products inte-
orally and In accordance with seasonal
apd local demand, thus improving
their position and rendering the con-
Aumer 4 reliable service of ensured
quality, certain supply, and reasonnl,le
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 4 very efficient marketing
agency. The grain, cotton, and to-
bacco farmers. and the producers II
hides and wool. because Of their num-
bers and the vastness of their regions,
and for other reasons. have found
integration q more difficult task
though there are now some thousands
of farmers cooperative elevators.
warehouses, creameries, and other en-
tsrprises Of one sort and another, with
a turnover Of billion dollers q year.
They are giving the farmers business
experience and training, and. so far
~ they 60. they meet the need of
honest weighing and fair grading; hut
they do not meet the requirements Of
nationally adjusted marketing In any
large and fundamental way.
The next step. which will be 4 pat
tseA for other groups. IL now being
prepared BY the graln-raisers through
the establishment Of sales media which
sha!l handle grain separately or col.
I5eHSay, a tk5 Individual farmer may
EJECT. II h this stsp-ths plan Of the
Ceomittse Of ssvsnteen-which has
citatsd - much opposition and 10
thought BY some 70 b. In conflict with
the antitrust laws. Though there IL
now befors congress . measure de-
ASned to clear up doubt on this point,
tAe grain producers are not relying oa
aAy immunlty from antitrust leglsla-
4sa. They desire, and they are en-
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