The Nonpartisan Leader Newspaper, May 2, 1921, Page 5

%1 8 Grain Grow [ ers, Inc.,” in Field Committee of Seventeen Grain Marketing Program Is Indorsed and Machinery 5 Set in Motion for Co-Operative Crop Sales ORK of organizing the grain growers of the United States to sell their prod- ucts through their own marketing machinery is now actively under way. At a ratification meeting in Chicago, attended by representative farmers elected from 23 grain growing states, the market- ing plan proposed by the Committee of Seventeen and described in the last two issues of the Leader, was adopted as drafted. A national sales agency was established under the name of the United States Grain Growers, Inc. This is a nonstock, nonprofit corporation, to be controlled by 21 directors. Membership in the United States Grain Growers, Inc., will cost farmers $10 each. Upon joining each farmer will sign a contract with his local ‘co-opera- tive elevator, or, if there is no local co-operative elevator, with a local grain growers’ association, to sell his surplus grain for the next five years. The local elevator or association in turn signs a contract with the U. S. Grain Growers, Inc. To the grower himself is left the option of selling his grain as he does today or of pooling it. If the grower decides to pool, he has the broadest-possible further election as to method. He may join a local pool of all or part of his neighbors. He may: pool all of his crop or any pertion of it. Local pools may join a district, state or national pool. A grower may choose to join the national pool direct or not to join it at all. In short, pooling machinery is provided and the grower may use it in any way he chooses or not at all. : ~ Southern wheat growers attempted to have the plan changed, so as to provide for the compulsory pooling of all or a portion of the crop. The compul- sory pool is the plan followed successfully by the California fruit producers. - The argument of the friends of this plan was that it would give the farmers much more power than if each farmer were allowed to sell as an individual. It was pointed out that this plan had proved suc- cessful in California. . . The argument of the opponents of this plan was that the grain farmers were not ready yet to be tied to such hard-and-fast methods and it was point-"~ ed out that the grain producing industry was spread over much wider areas than the fruit producing in- dustry, making it more difficult to adopt stringent rules that would-suit all sections. . Both amendments for compulsory pooling were ~ voted down by votes of approximately two to one. The majority of the North Dakota delegates voted for the compulsory pooling, believing that the need for the closest possible co-operation had been thoroughly driven into the farmers of their section. WILL USE ALL EXISTING CO-OPERATIVE MARKET AGENCIES The strong point of the Committee of Seventeen plan is that it will use every agency already built up by the farmers for the sale of their grain. Every country elevator is eligible to come into the system, provided it is co-operative in form and in principle, and those that are not-at present co-oper- ative in form will change their form to adopt the true co-operative principle. The Equity Co-Opera- tive exchange, which now operatés a terminal ele- - vator at St. Paul, will come into the system, thus - giving the United States Grain Growers, Inc., one terminal elevator at the start, while other-elevators may be leased. : North Dakota delegates at the convention were a unit in urging the sale of North Dakota state bonds -so that the state-owned terminal elevator at Grand Forks may be completed at the earliest pos- sible moment to give additional elevator capacity; free from the influence of the grain gamblers. While the Nonpartisan league, as a political or- ganization, has taken no part in shaping the grain marketing plan, its leaders have worked with the representatives of other farmers’ organizations in every -effort- to make the plan a success. United States Senator E. F. Ladd was a member of the Committee of Seventeen which studied the market- ing system for several months and then drafted the plan agreed upon. F. B. Wood, member of the " League’s national executive committee, and Lieu- tenant Governor Howard R. Wood of North Dakota were both delegates to the ratification meeting at Chicago. A Ry G The 21 directors of the organization, who are to serve until the first annual meeting is held, were elected from 12 districts, as follows: District 1, Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Cali- fornia—Vietor Smith, Wasco, Ore.; George C. Jewett, Spokane, Wash. - " District 2, Montana, North Dakota, Minnesota and Wisconsin—J. M. Anderson, St. Paul, Minn,; Usher L. Burdick, Williston, N. D.; W. F. Schilling, Northfield, Minn. ™ District 8, South Dakota, Nebraska and Colo- rado—C. #H. Gustafson, Omaha, Neb.; John T. Belk, Henry, S. D.; John D. Pancake, Loveland, Col. District 4, Iowa—Frank M. Myers, Fort Dodge; A. L. Middleton, Eagle Grove. Distriet 5, Kansas—R. C. Obrecht, Topeka; H. W, Avery, Wakefield. . District 6, Missouri—P. E. Donnell, Waco. District 7, Oklahoma—C. H. Hyde, Alva. District 8, Texas—Henry W. Coit, Renner. District 9, Illinois—William G. Eckhardt, Chi- cago; Fred A. Mudge, Peru; R. N. Clarke, Strong- hurst. 3 District 10, Ohio—H. W. Robinson, Cleveland. District 11, Indiana—James K. Mason, Milton. District 12, Michigan, Kentucky, Maryland and - Virginia—James Nicol, Lansing, Mich. s The ratification meeting at Chicago adopted reso- lutions as follows: Demanding right of collective bargaining under federal laws. Demanding a protective tariff on farm products if manufacturers get a protective tariff on products that farmers must buy. Asking federal legislation to prohibit gambling in food products. DON'T BE A ¥ A Nature Parable for the Benefit- of Farmers BY JOHN M. BAER A MAN or woman who is cheated is often spoken of as being “gulled.” The other day I was going through the National museurn at Washington, looking at the - ‘ gulls, and I met Dr. Charles W. Richmond, a bird specialist, who_has a colléc- tion of 215,000 types of birds,.the largest collection in.the world. Dr. Richmond told me that many of the birds have the characteristics of humans. For instance, in the sea gull family there is one class of gulls known as the food the parasitic jaeger pursues it, at- Yacks it from above and forces the gull to —_ ' sense they would organize and drive the . hopes they win the success they deserve. Opposing substitution of a sales tax for present excess profits taxes. - Asking relief from present extortionate freight rates. Indorsing Great Lakes-St. Lawrence waterway. Asking legislation to extend the present credit facilities of the federal land banks. Urging revision of federal reserve bank act to place agriculture on an equal basis with other in- dustries. Asking congress to use profits made by “U. S. Grain corporation during the war to furnish grain growers with credit for crop moving. Commending Secretary of Agriculture Henry C. Wallace and appreciating work of the late Charles McCarthy of Wisconsin. Wheat Grades Hearing . Henry C. Wallace, new secretary of agriculture, is holding a hearing at Washington, D. C., as this issue of the Leader is being printed, to pass upon the fairness of the spring wheat grades established by Director Charles Brand of the bureau of markets in 1917. Spring wheat growers soon found that the new grades were framed in the interests of the mill- ers and grain speculators and were even more un- fair than the old Minnesota grades, which they sup- planted. When E. T. Meredith became secretary of agriculture he promised their revision, but a hear+: ing held at Chicago last year was dominated by the millers and grain buyers and the grades were left unchanged. The influence of Dr. E. F. Ladd, now United States senator from North Dakota, is held as primarily responsible for the early reopening of the grades question by Secretary Wallace. POOR GULL! parasitic jaegers, which prey upon the other type of gulls. The jaeger’s longer wings give more power and it can outfly the others. Being more “clever” it does not produce its own food, but steals from its cousins. When the ordinary gull gets a bit of drop the fish or other dainty. Then the jaeger swoops down, picks up, the food be- fore it reaches the water and flies off with it. : Doesn’t the parasitic jaeger show the characteristics of some human beings? Isn’t the market gambler of the same type? When the farmer produces some food the speculator swoops down upon him, attacks him and gets his produce, as it fatlls, only to carry it to soaring heights ater. If the ordinary sea gulls had. venc’mgh jaegers away. But they haven’t enough sense—they are nothing but poor “gulls”— in both senses of the word. i ‘ ~Farmers are beginning to use their brains. They are organizing to drive off the parasites. Every true American S