The Raymer enterprise., 1923-09-20

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farming can be put on q par
with other big business.
Most people agree with the prin.
ciples behind cooperative marketing
and the majority seem to approve ol
the general plan under which the 90.
operative marketing agencies are do.
signed to operate.
But like the old Dutchman who
didn't see how the sardines could
swim into their can 30 systematic, =
there are good many who don't
see how the thing will work out
They agree with the plan but they
Say they are doubtful about the ma.
chinery Of cooperation.
A. matter Of fact, the plan un.
der which the Colorado Wheat Grow.
ers' association and other similar or
ganizations operate 10 identical with
the plan used by practically every
other big business in the country.
To illustrate this. suppose that the
big oil companies traded OF their
oil wells for wheat fields, and sud-
denly went into the business Of sell
ing grain.
The first thing that this standard
Wheat Co." would insist ON would
be profit. The managers would In
sist on It and the stockholders would
insist on 1t. The directors would get
together and figure out what It cost
to raise the wheat together with the
handling charges. To this figure
they would add an amount to taxa
care Of interest ON the farm lands
and machinery. and the total plus .
profit, would be the price they would
set for the selling Of their wheat.
In order to get this price they had
set for wheat. they would take two
or three precautions. They would
see to It that none Of the individual
stockholders Of the company sold any
Of the wheat at lower figure than
the one set BY the directors. In
other words, they wouldn't allow
any one Of their crowd to compete
against the rest.
Then the directors Of this Stand
ard Wheat Co." would regulate the
amount Of wheat they sold each
month Of the year to the amount
that the mills wanted. They would
not try to sell all Of their grain In
two or three months. The directors.
II they were sensible men. would re-
alise that II they made someone else
take care Of the surplus wheat until
the mills could use It, tese people
who held over the wheat Tor them
would charge profit. And the d.
rectors. II they were sensible men,
would want this profit for their own
stockholders instead Of someone else.
or course there would be outside
sellers who would be bucking this
Standard Wheat Co." They would
Aerhaps sell their grain little low
than the organized farmers. be-
M tse they would have to. But these
INt }side men wouldn't bother the
ders very much as long % the or
'ganization controlled most Of the
wheat. The man with control Of
supply is the one who controls price.
The mills would look with favor
on this imaginary STANDARD Wheat
Co." They would realise that when
the price Of wheat was ret, It would
stay set for year. The milla
wouldn't have to load up on wheat
q long time In advance. Neither
would the individual stockholdsr IN
the wheat company have to worry .
bout the markets. He would know
that whatever the company was able
to get for the year would be the rata
he also would get.
That q the maohiner; Of big bust.
ness. That IL the machinery Of %
operative marketing. Zach eoopeFa.
tive marketing organization il organ
iSing along just these lines. and every
member 10 q "stockholder". Ultimate
" every farm product in the United
States will be marketed according
to the plan Of this imaginary stand
ard Wheat Co.
The basis Of the cooperative plar
is absolute control Of farm commod-
titles by the farmer. He doesn't pasl
his products along for someone else
TO profit. He controls them until