Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1922-02-10

mr. care very mucu, WHAT ~
world was doing. The result Is that
tha agricultural group Is almost as
much at n disadvantage In dealing WIN
other economic groups as the Jay larIn-
or of the funny pages in the hands Oh
sleek urban confidence men, VINO sen
him acreage In Central Park or tne
Chicago city hall. The leaders OF lne
farmers thoroughly understand thlS'
and they are intelligently striving ~
,ntegrate their industry so that II VIII
be on an equal footing with other DUST
nesses.
As an example Of Indignation, take
the steel industry, in which the mouei
is the United States Steel Corporation
with its iron mines. its coal mines, It's
lake and rail transportation, its ocean
vessels. its by-product coke ovens us
blast furnaces. its open hearth ana
Bessemer~ furnaces, its rolling mills' lts
tube mills and other manufacturing
processes that are carried to the hlgh-
est degree Of finished production com
patible with the large trade 1t mas
built I'D. All this is generally conced-
ed to be to the advantage of the con-
sumer. Nor does the steel corporation
in~considerately dump its products on
the market. On the contrary, II SO
acts that it Is frequently a staDlllzlhg
influence, as Is often the case with orn-
er large organizations. 1t Is master OF
its distribution as well as Of It's pro-
duction. 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 ever desirable, because stable
and fair prices are essential to solid
and continued prosperity why would
1t be wrong for the farmers to utilize
central agencies hat would have SINH
lar effects on agricultural products?
Something like that is what they are
aiming at.
Some farmers favored by regional
compactness and c~ontiguity, such as the
49, fu-sE oI-n. of InlifnrniO oil
ready have found a 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 a 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 a 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 a 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 a billion dollers a year.
They are giving the farmers business
experience and training, and, so 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 in any
large and fundamental way.
The next step, which will be a pat
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 grain-producers are not relying on
any immunity from antitrust 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'
tons the United States Grain Growers
Incorporated is drafting a scheme OF
financing instrumentalities and auxili
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
scrasping the existing marketing ma
chinery, which has been so laboriously
built up by long experience, before
they have a tried and proved substi
tute or supplementary mechanism
HNA.- 1901 - aa,Op-r - l. 1885,.