Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1923-03-08
200 Farmers and Business Men
from 10 States at St
Paul Meeting.
Majority Resolutions Committed
Report Asks Congress-
iOnal Action.

of cost of production were in
dorsed by delegates attending the
Northwest Agricultural Price
Sterilization conference in St.
Paul, Feb. q and %.
More than 1000 business men
from ten wheat growing states
paid their own railroad fare and
Expenses TO attend the meeting,
which was called less than three
weeks ago by the Minnesota
Farmer Banker Council.
Following the conference, lead
ers met again, on Friday, to con-
slider more intimately details of
the cooperative marketing plan.
This meeting was called by the
American Farm Bureau Fedora
ton, the Minnesota Farm Bureau
Federation, cooperating with
farm leaders Principal speakers
at this conference were Walton
Peteet, director of marketing for
the American Farm Bureau Fed
Grafton, and Aaron Sapiro, nation
ally known exponent of farmer
owned terminarsales agencies.
The keynote of the marketing
phase of the Price Sterilization
conference was sounded by Wal
ton Peteet. Speaking Tuesday,
when he occupied practically the
entire evening for discussion of
his subject. he urged that the
future prosperity of farming in
this country rested, in the last
analysis, on group action in the
market place. This is necessary,
he said, because such a policy has
been adopted by all other lines
of industry.
The decision as to price stabih-
cation was reached only after
prolonged debate, incident to the
submission to the convention of
minority and majority reports
by the resolutions committee.
The majority report. adopted
by an overwhelming majority,
cited that a crisis exists in
American agriculture; that the
man on the farm is bearing more
than his share of the common
burdens and that while other
lines of business are prosperous,
hundreds or thousands of farmers
are facing bankruptcy.
Until such time as farmers
are in position, through their own
agencies, to handle and control
the marketing Of their products,
the resolution. as adopted, read.
I'VE call upon congress to mme-
diately stabilize the price of farm
products on the basis of the cost
of production"
The majority resolution also
asked for the passage of the
Gooding bill. which would create
an agency similar to the wartime
u. S. Wheat corporation and
establish a minimum price on
wheat of SITS at the terminals,
The majority report was adopt
ed after speaker after speaker
had declared, in effect, that the
plight of the Northwest farmer
today is little short of tragic.
The minority report took the
position that stimu ion of prices
would result in further over-pro
duction and agricultural demora
lization and opposed to price fix
ing on any commodity. It pro
posed that the governor of ever,
state in which wheat is grown OF
a large scale be asked to name
commission of three before Apri
1, and that these commission:
! should, after adequate study
determine fair price and thai
the full force of all farm organi
cations be used to obtain tina
} price for growers.
The price fixing question Wa:
the only one upon which their
was any extended debate.
In their ADDRESSES before III,
convention. Governor ]. A. o