The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1922-12-21

i
but that their work and investiga
lions and brushing with the factor!
men had toned them down as the!
came to see both sides of the in
dustry. He said that in the begin
ming they knew comparatively littl,
about the factory operations, ant
they held some very erratic views
They had radical growers to. dea
with who did not have the same
chance the committeeman did t.
gain facts and thus get the broader
and more correct view of the whole
industry in both field and factory.
Arbitrating Prices
According to their best informa,
ton, the factory had as large an in.
vestment as the growers, and when
they made a contract with mini.
mum price limit, but no maximum
limit, the factory took more risk
than did the growers. This prin.
ciple had been recognized and the
factory men had asked that the
fifty-fifty division of profits be
changed to 461k for the grower and
53k for the factory. The commit
tee now negotiating for the 1928
contracts will probably effect a com
promise at about 48 and So If the
company will meet that.
1t is now claimed that the Utah
sugar beets test as high in sugar as
the Idahos, and the factory is de-
clining to give Idaho farmers the SO
cents q ton above the price paid in
Utah. The committee is at dis
advantage because they have not
had sufficient funds to keep chem
lists on the job to make the tests for
the farmers and they have to take
the tabulations of the factory men
or sit back and make a guess at
what this new feature of the situa-
tion really is.
A Frank Admission
Mr.. Manwaring said that in the
early negotiations with the factory
representatives, the committee as
sumed that the factory extracted all
the sugar there is in the beets, and
that was one of the erratic ideas
that embarrassed them when they
had to 'concede that there is really
some sugar that does not reach the
sack. According to the best infor-
nation at hand, the extraction is
about "a and 80 per cent, according
to whether the Steffens method is
Woodworking the syrup over to
take out what sugar they can. Any
man, no matter how skeptical, can
see that the factory does not get 100
per cent extraction when there are
quantities of syrup left over that
cannot be further treated for sugar
extraction nor used for anything
else except hog feed or something of
that kind, and the farmer can get
that at. a very low price. In such
plain demonstrations as this the
committeeman become convinced of
the truth of statements made by
factory men regarding many things
which the radical layman has
doubted. AS the negotiations pro-
crossed from year to year the COM
mittee had more confidence in and
more respect for the factory men,
and as the farmers committee
gathered and brought in exact infor-
nation from time to time about the
cost of production, they commanded
more respect in the sight of the
factory men. The farther they went
in their tasks and conferences, the
better business basis they were get
ting on, and the less of doubts and
mistrust existed.
]. L. Moore of Shelley brought
out dicussion regarding beet seed,
and advocated a government price
fixing for wheat to stabilize farm
products and prevent the variations
in crops such as we are now witness
ing in the acreage and prices of
potatoes.
Liberal Laws
Senator Whitcomb talked on the
very favorable legislation in this
state to allow cooperative market
ing, and advised that if it is not
liberal enough, it can be broadened
to fit the needs. He said that the
farmer had done so little for him
self that legislators had tried to
make up for it by liberal measures
W encourage ulH1 " organize anu
make the most of his opportunities.
So long as the farmer specializes on
production only, and dumps his
crops on the market without grad
ing, without guaranty and in vary
ing conditions as to keeping qualit-
les, it follows that somebody must
do it for him, and that opens up the
way to take advantage of him and
make him stand waste and losses
which he alone can best prevent.
Will Organize
George A. Line gave brief report
Of the hay and grain show and the
seed show he had just attended at
Chicago. A vote of thanks was
given the farm bureau for arranging
the present meeting, and by a unan-
imous vote, they were requested to
call separate meetings for the poul-
trymen, the growers Of red clover
seed and several other products, to
place before them the plans by
which they may make cooperative