Evening star., 1923-06-29
HARDING ATTACKS
M|DDLEMEN'S TOLL
By the Associated Press.

| By the Associated Press
| IDAHO FALLS. Idaho. June %
Declaring that the need of the pres
ent is to shorten the bridge between
producer and consumer, President
Harding. In an address here yester--
day, proposed plan of cooperation
among consumers, financed in part
at least through a carefully organ
lied and supervised adaptation of
principles of the savings bank. or the
| building and loan society
| II believe the suggestion is worthy
of careful examination and consider
alton" the President asserted. II am
convinced that it's discussion will be
fruitful of good results and re-
minder to some who are disposed to
! take unreasonable tolls from both
the consuming public and the produc-
| ing public, that this public has the
right, the power and the ability to
devise means to protect itself"
| VIII Propose Legislation.
| The President further said that as
la result of studies and Investigations
! for the consideration of Congress
measures which shall represent
beginning along this line"
| 'One Of the most engrosslnG PROB
lens of our time. confronting coun-
| tries and all societies, is the exor-
bitant cost of living" the President
said I'VE realize that the real pro-
ducer: under our elaborate and costly
system of distribution. Is not per
mitted d fair share OF his product
-. Il xsr.xs Nnf
have become convinced that somehow
our system of distribution has grown
| too cumbersome, too costly, too com
plex, too indirect, too unrelated to the
interests of real producers and legiti-
mate consumer We must find meth
DDS to take up as much as possible
of the slack in the long line between
producer and consumer; to give the
/ producer a better share in that which
he furnishes to the community. ana
/ to enable the consumer to meet MS
4 requirements at reasonable cost.
I West Tries Co-OperntfOn.
| ITO this end many experiments have
been made in cooperative production,
1 transportation, distribution and pur-
| chasing. To a great extent, these ex-
periments have proceeded from the
| enterprise and initiative of the west
ern people, to whom these problems
have presented themselves with es-
! pecial inSiStence. But for the spirit
of cooperation, the Willingness to be
mutually helpful, the determination
! 10 give first place to the interests OF
! the community you could not have
lmade your west what it is. Working
| Incorporation on great scale practi-
| cal in operation and adequate to cope
with our problems can never be pos
| sible. except where there is this spirit.
| determination and purpose. 1t is be-
| cause the west has led so far in de-
vising such workable programs that
I have thought to say a few words
along this line today.
| Developments of the last genera
| tion have brought the instrumental
| tiles of transportation. of finance. OF
| corporate organization and operation
| into a closer harmony with the true
[ public interest than ever before. The
government has sought to make itself
! helpful. to point the way, to remove
ancient barriers of custom or tradi-
| tion. and to curb the excessive de-
1 mands of privilege, in order to cheap
en- for the great public many of the
! services which formerly were domi-
mated by the private interests and
! operated with too exclusive a consid-
Grafton for private profit.
| Initiative Is Needed.
| Anything tending to break down
| personal initiative, TO destroy enter
prise and ambition, must not enter
/ into any program which can hope for
| the approval OF the American people.
| ours is an individualistic society and
we want ii to remain so. We want
this republic to remain always the
l land of opportunity, wherein every
mans abilities and usefulness shall
measure his personal advancement
4 and prosperity. The kind of a pro-
! gram to encourage cooperation and
1 coordination which have in mind
4 would not interfere with the freedom
| of proper opportunity: rather, 1t
would enhance the individuals chance
to better his individual fortune"
| The need of this time is to shorten
the bridge between producer and con-
sumer. and to reduce the toll that
must be paid for passing over 1t. We
all know a good deal about the vari-
Gus cooperative societies, assocla-
ltfons and corporations which have un-
dertaken, in many cases with notable
4 success. to improve the position or
the agricultural producers. Such or
| ganizations have been successful In
all parts of this country. and in many
parts of the old world. They have al :
ready done a great work and taught
us many valuable lessons. Where
there are obstacles. imposed by un-
fortunate statutes or public policies,
or in the way of expanding such ac-
tiyities as these, they might well be
| gradually removed through measures
Of helpfulness and encouragement.
| Finds Farmers Alert.
! ION the whole, I think the agri-
cultural community has been more
! alive to the promotion of its inter
| ests along these lines than has the
urban community The farmers have
seen where their intesests lay, and
| have been more prompt and ener-
getic in adopting measures to pro
mote them than the people OF the
! city and town have been. There is
need to have working and practical
| co-operative associations of pro-
| ducers in the country. and at the
| same time to have equally eHectlve
lco-operations among the consuming
| communities of the cities and towns:
I and finally, to link these two sets or
! co-operators together in a co-ordina-
, ton for mutual advantages to both.
! I believe 1t Is possible, and altogether
| desirable, that systems of credit and
| finance should be developed, under
| public auspices, to encourage Doth
] these kinds of co-operation; and to
draw them together into a harmo-
nious working scheme of widespread
distribution at the lowest possible
! expense.
| much attention to developing sys-
| tenn of agricultural finance, particu-
l larly adapted to the needs of Amerf-
! can farm producers. Some critics
have, indeed, protested that 1t was
class legislation. Perhaps 1t was;
but, as I suggested in discussing the
| problems Of agriculture In Kansas
| the other. day, 1t was in the interest
| of a vitality important section or the
community which has heretofore had
L..