Evening star., 1927-09-27
BACKGROUND OF EVENTS
BY PAUL Y. COLLINS.

When Prime Minister Stanley Bald
win made a speech to 10000 farmers
in an open-air meeting in Lincoln
shire, England. few weeks ago, he
discussed the very serious depression
of agriculture throughout Great Brit
ain. lie attacked what he termed
the political cheapjacks," who were
prepared to guarantee a change in
the climate to suit every farmer
change in the world markets to
suit every seller. a rise in wages
to suit every laborer and a fall in
prices to suit every householder"
Mr.. Baldwin said that farmers
should realize the problem before
them was economic and not political
1T is no more possible" he stated
"in agriculture than in many other
Industries, to find a solution that
would convert depression into pros
perity. If the farmers union
would devote a little less time to poll
itics and a little more to telling the
government how they could help agri-
culture, they would meet the union
more than half way"
The prime minister asked the farm
ers whether there were not too
manv Intermediates (middle men),
and, he argued, better marketing was
the key to the whole situation. They
should improve on the methods of
their fathers; but in one respect let
them follow the example of their
fathers: let them rely on themselves,
work hard and have confidence in
themselves. Let them not look to the
government to help them out of every
hole they got into.
1.~nv tn1l L. fnr tool
leader to warn the farm voters that
they must not expect the government
to enter into their business and as
sure them good profits. A rash grain
dealer once had occasion to regret his
bluntifess when, in North Dakota, he
rebuffed appealing grain raisers by
telling them to "go home and slop
their hogs while politicians ran the
legislature" Later the farmers ran
the legislature. Mr.. Baldwin told
of a somewhat similar experience in
Alberta, Canada. He said:
Il wonder how many of you have
followed what the farmers of Cam
ada have done. For. years they were
| monkeyed about by the dealers and
spectators in wheat. In less than five
years the marketing methods of
Western Canada have been revolu-
tionized ana depression has given
| place TO optimism. All this has been
done by the farmers themselves. Con-
fronted by the slump following the
| postwar boom, they consulted to-
gether. They formed pool of the
great wheat producing provinces. 1t
Is governed by the farmers them
selves. A year ago they had mem
bership of 125,OOO. They disposed of
| 212,00o.000 bushels of grain, grown
on 140O0,OOO acres of land, or 20 per
cent of the total crop of the whole
| Dominion. That gigantic effort saved
| thousands of Canadian farmers from
disaster A movement like this has
had it's critics, but it is authoritative
ly claimed for it that it prevented
glutting of the market, smoothed
but the prices and ruled out the
unnecessary middleman.
! Your problems at home are less
in magnitude. but much more com
plicated in detail, and / should like to-
see them faced with the same kind
of organized and cooperative busi-
ness ability with which your brothers
in Canada have tackled their prob.
lems."
| Following Canada's example, there
are already several state and inter-
state pools of wheat in operation in
| the United States, handling, cooper
atively, millions of bushels of grain,
In Canada, when the grain exchanges
refused to permit such pools to hold
seats on change. the farmers con.
trolling legislatures passed laws com
pelIing the exchanges SO to recog.
niZe the cooperative pools on the
floor. That has not been accomplished
In America. The Non-Partisan League
cooperatiyes OF North Dakota did not
stop with the farmer co-operat ton, but
through their control of the legisla =
lures. they put the State into ac-
tive business by building State ele-
vators and -four mills and other en-
terprises.
- There are two main propositions
before the public. to DC considered by