The Oakley herald. [volume] (Oakley, Idaho) 1908-1961, 1922-01-27
| v

and labor.
Now, what is the farmer asking
Without trying TO catalogue tho 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 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 al the
peak Of the marketing period. The
farmer thinks that either private CAPT
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 this Is
already accomplished to some extent
by the federal licensing of weighers
ing. overcharging, and unfair grading,
and to facilitate the utilization Of the
stored products as the basis of credit
Third a 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 anG 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-
tIon.
Fifth: freedom to integrate the bust
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 business requires specialized
talent, II has to buy IT, So viii the
farmers; and perhaps the best way for
them to get 1t 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 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 integrations but
in justice, should they be forbidden to
the farmer and permitted to others?
The corporate form Of association can
not now be wholly adapted TO his OBJ
iects and conditions The looser co
operative form seems more generally
suitable Therefore, he wishes to be
free, II he finds II desirable and feas-
ible, to resort to cooperation with his
fellows and nelghbors, 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 Indignation 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 Anticipated methods. or by no
methods at all. but they are surrounded
by a business world that has been
modernized to the last minute and is
tirelessly striving for efficiency This
is due In large measure 10
big business. to united business, 10 in
tegrated business. The farmers now
seek the benefits OF such largeness, un
ion and Indignation
The American farmer is modern OF
he moderns in the use of labor saving
and he has made vast
strides In recent years In scientific !
-illage and efficient farm management
out as a business in contact with other |
businesses agirculture-is a lone horse |
shay" in competition with high power |
automobiles. The American farmer Is /
he greatest and most intractable Of |
While industrial pro
luction and all phases Of the huge com
nercial mechanism and its myriad ac-
.essories have articulated and co-ordl
,ated themselves all the way from nat
lral raw materials TO retail sales the
business Of agriculture has gone on In
much the one man fashion OF the back
woods of the first part Of the nine
zenith century. when The farmer was