Evening star., 1924-02-08
There is now. in session in washing

There 10 now In session in Washing
ton conference Of agricultural econ
onists. They propose, TO revolution
ize the distribution Of foods in Ameri-
ca in such a way as to destroy the
profits OF present distributors
amounting to fifteen billions of doll
lars annually. It is more for each
year than the total debt OF Europe
interest to date.
Senator Arthur Cappcr-who talks
to more farmers every week. than any
other man in America--made speech
at this conference In which he said
concrete things, among which was this
Seven and a half billion, dollars is
what the farmer Is collecting for
products Of the farm. -. -.
For these same products the con-
sumer pays twenty-five and a half
'"The huge fifteen bilIion-dollar DIFF
ference--called the 'spread'--is'. alb
sorbed by dealers, spectators and
other toll-takers.
living Information, also underpaid-
farmer news, Ie explains the rise and
rapid development OF the cooperative
marketing movement IN the United
States-a movement everybody should
help along" -,
x** x,
Another speaker at this conference
was former Gov. Lowden-producer
of cows and grain and Pullman cars
sometime prospective inhabitant OF
the White House. He told his fellow
economists: :. .-.,,-.
In all other Industries there has
been a growing tendency to stabilize
prices This has been erected largely
through the organization OF rev
great corporations which have taken
the place Of innumerAble smaiier IN .
dependent units scattered over the
land.
turers relative to. production. In
every line, but they in turn are or
ganized into a great national oooy
which meets usually once a year ana
considers questions of world supply
and demand and other subjects OIL
."These great companies therefore
are able to plan the next years cam
paign intelligently and to adjust their
production to the probable demand.
From time to time they NIX -tneir
price upon their product; wnien sa,,,tee re
mains until new conditions require
change"
address somebody might have invoked
tho Sherman antitrust law agalnse
price fixing, but SINCE .neros % Sx n~ ~
price of wheat by law the outcry
might have been taken for propa-
ganda.
Gov. Lowden proceeded to point out
that ito fix the market price of farm
products fairly tho law OF supply ana
demand is effective only with Tree
competition on both sides. Among
the causes which may defeat Tree
competition, Hadley, former Presi-
dent of Yale University, in his work
on economies, places ignorance first.
In other words, thero must be
equality of understanding between
buyers and sellers before this law
can operate successfully. -
diyidual farmers TO gather the ,neces-
sary data as TO world supply and
demand, as can great business or
ganizatioEs. Therefore. farmers must
organize comparatively for the mar
keting of their products to stand on
an equality with other business Or
ganizations Up to this point Gov.
Lowden appeared TO be approving OF
the price-fxing bill now before Con-
gress.
another measure which proposes to
buv up 200. .00O,0 900 bushels of wheat
the supposed surplus of last years
crop-and dump it In Europe for
what IL will bring. while protecting
the home market with the tariff
against importing wheat: He said:
"If a great commodity Tnarke ting
organization of any farm product
handled the bulk of that product it
could treat It's exportable surplus in
one way and the great residue In an
other way, just as the manufacturer
does. -.
"If the price received from export
sales abroad is below the cost of pro-