WHEAT MARKETING

Evening Star, Issue 19549, 6 May 1927, Page 4

WHEAT MARKETING

THE POOL CONFERENCE CO-OPERATION URGED. Press Association—By Telegraph—Copyright. NEW YORK, May 5. Mr Burnell (chairman), in delivering his address at the opening of the international co-operative wheat pool conference at Kansas City, said he was gratified with the reported progress of ;thc pool movement in Canada, Australia, the United States, and Russia. There were 15,000 more members in Canada than last year, and Ontario was organising a pool. He traced the growth of the co-operative wheat to Canada, and added:—“We in Canada believe the positive fact that a_ binding contact is an absolute essential to a ouccessful wheat pool, and our five-year contract is the keystone of our success. Wheat pooling in Canada has benefited not only the farmers, but the whole of the Canadian business world.” Referring to the effort toward cooperative marketing in other countries, Mr Burnell said: “What is needed is more pool and less politics.” He advocated a continued intensive campaign of co-operative education. The influence of the pool on prices was reflected in the world price. It was imperative that thev should keep constantly before the pool members the fact that the market price was made by the pool farmers. Selling should be organised, so that.it could stand on an equal footing with the sale of all manufactures. He pointed out that Canadian banks and business men interested were helping the pool. “ If our movement is to succeed it must do more than obtain a good price for wheat. It must take means to let the farmer know the conditions surrounding the sale of his grain. The cooperative movement is a crusade, and the co-operators must be crusaders.” He stressed the necessity that all the exporting countries must move together. “ I have not anticipated any quarrel with the consumer. When he understands that the objective of the wheat pool is to bring wheat prices into line with the prices of commodities which the farmer has to buy, it is ray hope that agriculture may be the first to replace international competition by internal co-operation.” ADVICE TO FARMERS. MUST WORK OUT OWN SALVATION. NEW YORK, May 6. (Received May 6, at 10.30 a.m.) Mr Bath, one of the delegates, interviewed at Kansas City, declared: “ American fanners rely too much on the politicians to find _ a way out of the unstable farm conditions. I would like to see every American farmer with a share certificate in _an active cooperative wheat organisation, and emblazoned on that certificate the motto ‘ God helps those who help themselves.’ As elsewhere, the farmers in the United States must work out their own salvation. I am not saying anything about American politics, but I do say that the question of effective wheat marketing concerns the farmer as a wheat grower, and not as a Republican or a Democrat.”