The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1924-05-08
PROPOSED SOLUTION OF FARM
PRODUCTS DISTRIBUTION.

Representative Arthur B. Williams, Repub-
Ican of Michigan has introduced a bill IN Con-
gress to encourage marketing associations and
facilitate the sale of farm products. Mr. Will
Hams has been farmer, a manufacturer, IL
nancer, and corporation lawyer, and he has
achieved a fair measure of success IN all Ines
hence he can view problems touching on these
four activities from all angles.
Mr. Williams would provide first, for fed
eral marketing board which would be charged
with the administration Of the proposed act
This board would consist Of seven members, five
appointed by the President, and the Secretaries
Of commerce and Agriculture to be eX offlclo
members 1t is the, intention that the presl-
Dental appointees shall be men favorlng the
cooperative marketing idea. Clearing house as
sociations are provided for which shall collect
the produce from certain delimited production
areas of the country, where it has been rounded
up by local cooperative agencies, and pass 1t
on to the big terminal centers OF the United
States Terminal associations made up OF CO.
operative agencies, wholesalers brokers ana
commission men will then handle the crops. i,
Provision is made for inspection OF grade,
quality, and condition ofacoc1modities at place
of origin. in transit, if necessary and on arriv-
ING at terminals The federal board shall pre-
scribe such standards and grades as have here
Agriculture, or pending the adoption of those
standards it may set up it's own. Charters will
issue to the various associations, upon their
Qualifying by agreeing to observe the condl-
tions of the act, which include, among other
matters the agreementto arbitrate under rules
prescribed by the board, and in disputes arising
with regard to inspection or condition OF pro-
ducts shipped This is expected to avoid the
dangers of fraud or unfair treatment, and the
expenses incident to litigation. "The shipper
is protected in what may happen at terminal
markets if he ships without sale in advance
and the buyer can purchase at long, distance,
knowing just what he is to receive.
The board may appoint. commodity bureaus
Of a temporary nature - two or three years,
or less if The particular commodity has develop
ed to the point where it can support it's own
board. Membership in the board itself runs
from one to five years, and in case of vacancies
nominations for three members are to be sub
n1itted to the President by the cooperative mar
keting associations in annual meeting, and for
two members by the terminal marketing asso-s
Citations Thus the two classes of associations
and the Federal Government are tied together
in the membership of the board. The appro-4
priation for putting this machinery into opera
tion is $7500,000 annually and where there is
any residue remaining it shall revert to a re-
voving fund handled by the board from which
loans for limited period at 6 per cent may be
made to cooperative marketing and clearing
house associations to be used in extending mem
bership. IS
Mr. Williams feels that his bill will insure
orderly distribution and marketing Of farm
products, avoiding waste, unbalanced supply,
deterioration and to a large extent, price fluc-
tuation It places the farmer in immediate
touch with the market problem, and the hand
-srG of products will be reduced to a minimum
Many students of the farm question are said to
be enthusiastic in support of the bill If the
bill becomes a law and measures up to the .ex-
pectation of it's supporters it will be great
piece of constructive legislation