Durant weekly news. (Durant, Choctaw Nation, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 190?-1944, 1922-02-17
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Now, what is the farmer asking
without trying to catalogue the re-
medal measures that have been sug-
gested In his behalf, the principal pro
posals that bear directly on the i'm.
provement Of his distributing and mar
keting relations may be summarized "a
follows:-
First: storage warehouses for cot.
ton. wool, and tobacco, and elevators
for grain, Of suficient capacity to NEE,
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 certlflcation
thereof, to be done by impartial and
dlsinterested public inspectors (this ID
already accomplished to some extent
BY the federal licensing Of welgherl
and graders), to eliminate underpay.
Ing, overcharglng, and unfair grading,
and to facilitate the utilization Of the
stored products as the basis Of credit.
Third: q certainty Of credit sufficient
to enable the marketing Of products
Ii all orderly manner.
Fourth: the Department Of Agricul.
ture should collect. tabulate, summa.
rlze, 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 az
buyers now are Of their buying posi-.
tion.
Fifth: freedom to integrate the bust.
ness Of agriculture by means OF con
soIidated 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 II would be to utilize some
Of the present machinery Of the larg.
est established agencies dealing In
farm products. OF course, II he wishes,
the farmer may go further and engage
In fiour-milling and other manufactures
Of food products. In my opinion,
however, he would be wise to stop
short of that. Public interest may be
opposed to all great integratlons; but.
In Justice, should they he forbidden to
the farmer and permitted to others?
The corporate form NJ association can
not now be wholly adapted to his oh.
jects and conditions. The loOser 60.
operative form seems more generally
suitable. Therefore. he wishes to be
free, II 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-
olistlc power. The American people
are as frmly opposed to Industrial a.
to political autocracy. whether at.
by rural or by urban Industry.
For lack of united effort the farmers
20 Q whole are still marketing their
crops by antiquated methods, or by no
methods at all, but they are surrounded
By q business world that has been
to the last minute and is
striving for efficiency. This
efficiency Ii due In large measure to
big business, to united business, to In.
teErated business. The farmers now
seek the benefits Of such largeness, IN.
lon and integratlon.
The American farmer 10 a modern Of
the moderns In the use OF labor saving
and he has made vast
strides In recent years In scientific
tillage and efficient farm management,
but as business In contact with other
businesses agriculture Is a zone horse
HAY" In competition with high pOwer
automobiles The American farmer ID
The Creates nud most lnrrartable OF
While Industrial pro
iuction and all phases of the huge com
nercial mech u.'l and It's myrind ac
.essories have arrlrulntr1 and cr-ordI
mated them>c'Nr- nll the way from nat
lral raw mnlrri A. 10 poo. lies. the
business ~ a-rinUlu2r 'a ur on In
much the one man fashion 81 the hack.
woods Of the first part 4 the nine
lAenth century. when the farmer Waa