The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969, 1942-11-06
GCo.optig2'aI:s
F.U.C.T.A..,
The Hare Awakens.
Soy Beans Are Rich.
Along Came the Buyer.
Appeal To Thatcher.
1t Happened Again.

Appeal To Thatcher.
1t Happened Again.
Take your eyes off the election re-
turns and the war reports from the
Solomon islands, Libya or Stalingrad,
long enough to look at China-where
the soy bean came from. ooh, that!"
says you, registering Indifference.
Don't despise China. She was first in
lot of things-and will be again.
Her people were drinking tea for CEN
turtles before Christ and we got the
first taste in 1917. When it first
came, it became stylish, but in some
places the ladies got it all wrong.
They brewed it, then threw away the
brown juice and ate the leaves; China
had printing presses in so BIC. and
the German inventor, Gutenberg, got
his press going 1900 years later
China had gunpowder long before the
Christian era and we started to use
it in the 18th century. Chinese sail
ors had the compass long before we
did and that goes also for silk China
was like the hare which ran far ahead
of the world and then went asleep
until the tortoise of Western civiliza-
ton pasesd her. War is now awaken
ing her and when she is fully awake
she may lead the procession again.
Which brings us back to the soy
bean, rich in oil and protein. Over
at the GTA plant and warehouse in
Minneapolis the other day your col
umnist saw great piles of sacks con-
tanning soy bean meal. Some was
coarse ground, some was fine as flour,
almost. 1t had an appetizing aroma
and they said thrifty housewives were
making hot biscuits and rolls of it, |
which the folks were eating with !
relish. The Chinese have been doing
that for centuries. Here we use the |
meal and flour to put oomph in live
stock. Mixed with liquid, it makes
grand eats for the hogs, supplying
strength to bones and putting flesh
and fat on the pigs-which is cash in
he farmers pocket. They claim that
he old cry of the hog-caller on the
arm used to be "Poi, poll" but that
low it is "Soy, soyl" But you don't
lave to believe that one.
But there's another angle to this
10Y bean story that is true. Because
If its nutriment value and because
Jncle Sam said he had to have the
I'll, farmers all over went for it in a
zig way. Down in Iowa they raised ,
0 million bushels and Minnesota and
Their dairying states in proportion !
tut along came frost in September
asst and the crop got badly hurt The
cans were all right as livestock food
ut the oil from them was of dark
r muddy hue, requiring re-processing
clear up. Along came the buyer
nd, in the language of Solomon, said:
1t is nought, it is nought!" and
apped on such intolerable discounts
8 2 cents for each per cent of !.
amage over 5 per cent.
The soy bean farmers were taking
beating and they appealed to M. w.
hatcher as chairman of the National
armers Union Legislative committee
try to do something about it. They '
1ew he had done something about
e price Of flax-also needed for oil
Id that he had got a floor under CT
lmaged durum so the buyer was not m
citing the grain for the proverbial pi
ng. There might be chance to do s;
about the price of damaged 81
y beans. And M. w. Thatcher did d
about it. He put the case
to w. A. Macarthur, director of W
ain operations, Commodity Credit bt
meantime telling the soy CO
an owners to hold their damaged SIG
op until he heard from his plea to CO
ashington on their behalf. TO
al
Well, it happened again! Under =
tie of October 20, the Agricultural to
reservation office in ST. Paul issued wi
order to all chairman of county 81
reservation committees announcing IN
1t the Commodity Credit Corpora IT,
n would buy frost damaged soy eh
ans at cent for each per cent of is
of the 2c-and that an
mage above per cent instead of mr.
The price schedule in the order wi
is from $160 for per cent damage hi,