The daily times., 1922-01-31

for the benefit Of shipping. commerce
and labor.
Now, what il the farmer asking1
Without trying to catalogue the re-
medal measures that have been sug
gested in his behalf, the principal pfE-
posals that bear. directly on the i'm
provement of his distributing and mar
keting relations may be summarized as
follows -
First: storage warehouses for cot
ton. wool. and tobacco. and elevators
for grain, Of sufficient capacity to meet
the maximum demand on them at the
peak OF the marketing period. The
farmer thinks that either private capi-
tai must furnish these facilities, or the
state must erect and own the eleva.
tors and warehouses.
Second: weighing and grading of
agricultural products, and certification
thereof, to be done by impartial and
disinterested public Inspectors tthis Is
already ACCOMPLISHED to some extent
by the federal licensing Of weighera
and graders), to eliminate mderpay.
ing, Overcharging, and unfair grading,
and to facilitate the utilization Of the
stored products as the basis of credit.
Third certainty of credit sufficient
to enable the marketing of products
In an orderly manner.
Fourth: the Department Of Agricul-
ture should collect, tabulate. summa-
rize. and regularly and frequently pub
lish and distribute to the farmers. full
information from all the markets of
the world. so that they shall be as well
informed of their selling position as
buyers now are of their buying posi-
ton.
Fifth: freedom to integrate the busi-
ness of agriculture by means of con-
solidated selling agencies, cO-ordinat-
ing and cooperating in such way as to
put the farmer on an equal footing
with the large buyers of his products.
and with commercial relations in other
industries.
When a business requires specialized
talent. it has to buy it. So will the
farmers and perhaps the best way for
them to get it would be to utilize some
of the present machinery of the larg-
est established agencies dealing in
farm products Of course, if he wishes
the farmer may go further and engage
in flour milling and other manufa ctures
Of food products. In my opinion,
however, he would be wise to stop
short of that Public interest may be
opposed to all great integrations; but
in justice, should they be forbidden to
the farmer and permitted to others?
The corporate form Of association can
ho vx-hn OBJ to hie oh,
jects and conditions. The looser CO.
operative form seems more generally
suitable Therefore, he wishes to be
free, if he finds it desirable and feas-
ible, to resort to cooperation with his
fellows and neighbors, without run
ming afoul of the law. To urge that
the farmers should have the same lib
erty to consolidate and coordinate
their peculiar economic functions,
which other industries in their fields
enjoy, is not, however, to cOncede that
any business integration should have
legislative sanction to exercise monOp-
olistic power The American people
are as firmly opposed to industrial as
to political autOcracy, whether at
tempted by rural or by urban industry
For lack of united effort the farmers
as a whole are still marketing their
crops by antiguated methods. or by nc
methods at all. but they are surrounded
by business world that has been
modernizeG to the last minute and is
tirelessEy striving for efficiency. This
efficiency is due in large measure tC
big business to united business, to In
tegrated business The farmers now
seek the benefits of such largeness, I'm
ion and inteyration.
The American farmer is a modern OF
the moderns in the use of labor saving
machinery, and he has made vast
strides in recent years in scientific
til!age and efficient farm management
but as business in contact with other
businesses agriculture Is zone horse
shay in competition with high power
automobiles The American farmer is
the greatest and rHost intra ctable OF
individualists. While industrial pro
ductien and all phases of the huge com
mercial mechanism and its myriad &C
cessories have articulated and eO-ordi-
mated themselves all the way from nat
ural raw materials to retail sales. the
business ef agriculture has gone on In
much re one nttn fashion Of the back
woods of the htst part Of the -nire
.teen1h. century, vixen the farmer wae