Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1922-04-12

pie, the public generally is being more
and more educated regarding the ac-
tual economic conditions Of agricul-
ture and as result the general public
is more and more realizing the vast
Importance of successful and pros
porous agriculture----that it is the very
thing upon which practically all of
our industrial structure rests. These
organizations are powerful factors
within our legislatures and in our
Congress. e.
The Farm Bureau Federation of our
state rendered valuable service dur
ing the last session of our legislature
in promoting and supporting legisla-
ton in the interest of agriculture.
But this organization and some other
similar organizations however exist
as non-political in character. While in
every other industry we are abreast
of the most advanced nations in COM
merce, in manufacture, in banking
and merchandising, there is hardly not
a nation in the world that cannot teach
America something about agriculture
No commodity can long be produced
below the cost of production and
thereforeconditions should exist when
it would never be necessary to market
any farm commodity below cost Stor-
age facilities should be provided or
should exist where farm commodities
could be. stored and held until the
world would have to- pay the cost
some day. These problems have been
met. and solved ina large measure in
the countries Of Holland and Den.
mark quite considerably in Italy, Aus
.tralia, Germany, France, Belgium, to
some extent in England and as we
knowrin large measure among the
fruit growers of California.
The cotton growers of the South
have lately organized themselves in
fine fashion for the orderly marketing
of their product. There are various
cotton: growers marketing associa-
tons which are federated into the
American Cotton Growers Exchange.
They have formed them in all cotton
growing states. In the state Of Tex
as, the Farm Bureau Federation took
exclusive hold and formed what they
have styled the Farm Bureau Cotton
Association which is also a member
of the American Exchange. I have this
information from the secretary of the
Texas Federation, Mr.. Walton Petit,
that. his state association had as much
cotton to sell as any five cotton firms
in the world. By about December list
last, the association had received
something like 100000 bales Of cotton
and according to the selling plan of
the association only about 10000 bales
had been sold. The sales managers
had been able to obtain for members
two or three cents pound more than
the: street buyers had been paying.
This meant from SO to SIS a bale
or more than 100000 increase on
sales made by that time and on this
ratio including bales remaining I'M
sold the profit would amount to mil
lion and-a> quarter dollars. They.have~
leased grading and storage facilities.
Last fall the War Finance Corpora
ton loaned the association the sum of
SIS, 100000 and the banks of the state
advanced to the association several
million dollars, SO that. the associa- 4
ton would be able to advance money
to member growers who were in i'm
mediate need of money for part of
their product.
- We understand that this is the way
that the so-called United Grain Grow.
ers' Association, Inc, proposes to op-
crate and it will unquestionably sue
coed. We predict that it is only a
matter of time when practically all
agricultural products will be handled
in this fashion, by the producers them
selves. thus eliminating the middle
mems profits which essentially belong
to the producers. 1t can be DONE 1t
is successfully realized wherever it is
established. The Volstead-Capper law
gave : collective bargaining among
agriculture legal status and exempt
ing such transactions from the pro.
~ ..
were laws passed by our last legisla-
ture providing for the admittance of
farmers: societies or organizations to
membership on our grain and livestock
exchanges. We know that the Farm
ers Live stock shipping associations of
the state, at least most of them, form
ed themselves under this law as
state selling agency in the South St.
Paul live stock market last summer.
We appreciate the benefits that the
farmers have realized in their bust.
ness by virtue of this arrangement.
The Legislature also passed law pro-
hibiting the socalled : gambling in
grain On our grain exchanges, but
when the legislature enacted this law.
e. = II