NINTH ANNUAL YEAR BOOK— PART VII 263 
No one ought to feel sorry about this present and possible change if 
the dairy business of the state as distinguished from the creamery business 
has been and will be benefitted by it. We can scarcely be so selfish as to 
put the interests of a few hundred buttermakers ahead of those of 100,000 
producers and another 100,000 farmers that ought to and will be pro- 
ducers in this state if profits in dairying can be increased. There has 
been an enormous increase in dairying in the southern and western part 
of the state. There ought to have been an extraordinary increase in 
dairying in every part of the state and so the whole production should be 
very greatly increased. It has been so in other states that have been 
developing in any degree new territory as we have here. But it has not 
been so in Iowa. There has been little or no aggregate increase in dairy- 
ing, 'there has been no steady increase in amount of butter produced; 
there has been a distinct loss in various localities in the so-called dairy 
districts of the state instead of increase in production. Our production 
has fluctuated with varying success but has not shown the growth that 
other states have shown, except in the present year, and that gain is 
probably only because of temporary causes. It is mighty difficult to be 
satisfied with what little progress and increase has been made in Iowa 
during the last seven or eight years. 
In discussing the future it is not necessary to consider wholly just 
what have been the practices of the larger creameries of this state. It 
is immaterial to this discussion whether they have introduced unfair and 
unjust competition. The future is just the same whether they have 
already done so, or whether they simply have the power to do so. It js 
alleged that the practice of paying different prices for butter-fat in differ- 
ent localities prevails in this state. Disregard discussion of the truth or 
falsity of this accusation every man here knows that they have the power 
to do so and to put out of business almost any creamery in the state by 
such practice. Where is the man that dares go to Gladbrook or some 
other point now wholly dependent upon the shipping of cream to a market 
and invest $2,500 in a creamery? Not one of you is anxious to do so, 
and some of you would be mighty glad to unload the plants you now have. 
The character of competition that may be met in such enterprises has 
absolutely made it impossible to establish creameries in more than half 
the area of the state, and has deprived the would-be cream producers of 
the competition that would have resulted if creameries had been estab- 
lished. Competition is said to be the life of trade, but the competition 
must be on a fair basis. A fair field and no favors results in the highest 
good to the greatest number. 
In the interest of compelling such fair competition in the matter of 
purchasing of cream I propose that the next legislature be asked by this 
association to make it unlawful for any person or corporation buying 
milk or cream or butter-fat in this state to make any discriminations in 
prices under like conditions of time and products. I believe that such a 
law will make for permanency and development in the erecting and main- 
taining of creameries for the manufacture of butter, because its enforce- 
ment would insure to every man who desires to make that sort of an 
investment that he would have fair and open competition; that he would 
strive with his competitiors on the basis of his ability to operate the 
