Sioux County pioneer. (Fort Yates, Sioux County, N.D.) 1914-1929, 1922-02-02

business of agriculture li,is gone on In
much the one man faslllon of the back
woods of the first part Of the nine
secnth century. when the farmer wa,
self sufficient and did not depend upon,
or care very much. what the great
world was doing. The result Is that
the agricultural group is almost as.
much ut a disadvantage in dealing with
other economic groups as the jay f,lrm-
err 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 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.
patible with the large trade 1t has
built up. All this Is generally conced-
ell to be to the advantage Of the COM
sumer. Nor does the steel corporation:
inconsideratelyl dump Its products on.
the market. On the contrary, 1t SO
acts that 1t Is frequently a stabilizinc
Influence, as Ia often the case with 9TH
er large organizations It Ia master of
Its distribution as well as Of Its pro-
duction. II prices are not satisfactory
the. products are held back or produc-
tloh is reduced,or suspended. It is not
compelled to send a years work to the
market at one time and take whatever
It can get under such circumstances.
It has one selling policy and Its own
export department. Neither are the
grades and qualities of steel determin-5
ed at the caprice Of the buyer, nor does
the latter hold the acalea, In this sim
gle integratiQn of the steel corporation
Is represented about. 40 per cent of the
steel production Of America The rest
Id mostly in the hands. Of a few large
companies. In ordinary timea the.
steel corporation, by example, :stabilizes
all steel prices. IL this Is permissible
{it Is even desirable, because stable
! and fair pFipes are essential to solid
+ and continued prosperity) why would
It he wrong for the farmers to utilize
central agencies that would have SINH
liar effects on agricultural products7
Something like that Is what they are
aiming at:
Some farmers favored by regional,
! onnpactness and contiguity, such as the
Observation-Disclosures of California, al
ready have found a way legally to,
merge and sell their products lnte.,
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
shave not found 1t necessary to resart
to any special privilege. or to claim
ANY exemption under the antitrust;
sleglslatinn Of the state or nation. With
/ ont removing local control, they have
built np 4 very efficient marketing
Sagsnp The grain, cotton, and to-
sbaoo0 farmers, and the producers 81!
/, hldea and wool. because of their mum.
+ hers and the vastness .0f their regions,
< and for other reasons, have found
slntegratlon 4 more difficult task s
4: fl1nNgIS here ra nnw S0f11os fhnti an III