Chicago Learns What's Wrong 



^^V^ HE Chicago Association of Commerce apparent!) 



^~-^^ realizes that the cit)'s relations with agriculture 



«y could be improved. So it has staged a number of 



clinics to hnJ out what s wrong and what can be done 



about it. 



An invitation was recently extended to the president 

 of the Illinois Agricultural Association to speak before a 

 luncheon group on the subject. "What's Wrong with Chi- 

 cago," a rare event indeed. 



"It is peculiar but true," Mr. Smith told the business 

 leaders, "that while Chicago is recognized throughout the 

 nation as the agricultural capital of America, yet wherever 

 one goes among farmers you will find the belief that Chi- 

 cago is unfriendly to agriculture. 



"Back in the "20s when farmers were proposing an ex- 

 port marketing program to dispose of their surplus prod- 

 ucts while maintaining, without government subsidy, parity 

 prices for that part consumed domestically, there was a 

 feeling among your meat packers, grain tradesmen and 

 many of your business leaders that somehow the McNary- 

 Haugen legislation would cripple their business. 



"Largely because of the opposition from commercial 

 interests that program was vetoed. This failure of the 

 business leaders of the country to support farmers in their 

 just demands, coupled with other causes, resulted in Amer- 

 ica losing much of its export market for farm products, 

 the consequent sharp decline of farm buying power, and 

 the need for a major economic readjustment. 



"Astonishing as it may seem, many grain dealers who 

 once opposed the farmers' export program, and who con- 

 demn the Agricultural Adjustment Act because it reduces 

 the volume of grain handled, are now advocating sub- 

 stantially the export surplus disposal program embodied in 

 the old McNary-Haugen legislation. 



"Another reason Chicago has a reputation for being 

 unfriendly to agriculture, perhaps lies in the fact that your 

 livestock packing and commission interests, and your grain 

 and produce interests have opposed farmers when they 

 asked for a correction of certain evils connected with the 

 marketing of agricultural products. 



"The question of revenue and taxes has been another 

 source of friction to disturb friendly relations between city 

 and countrw Back in the "2()s when your Chicago political 

 machine sought to authorize taxing districts to double their 

 bonding power, organized farmers aggressively opposed 

 these measures and were called names for their efforts. 



"I am glad to say that there has been a more friendly 

 attitude and more interest shown toward promoting a bet- 

 ter understanding of the farm point of view in recent years. 



'Seriously. I feel and I believe I express the feeling 

 of farmers generally, that Chicigo has a definite and selfish 

 interest in seeing that the prices of farm products are main- 

 tained at a fair exchange \alue \\ ith the prices of industrial 

 goods, wage scales and the cost of services. 



"You have a great many unemployed people in your 

 cit)'. I am convinced that one of the primary causes of this 

 unemployment is the inability of farmers to purchase more 

 of the output of your factories. You have permitted your 

 wage scales and consequent prices of much manufactured 

 goods, you have allowed the costs of building to soar all 

 out of proportion to the ability of many people, especially 

 farmers, to buy. 



"In my opinion your employment situation will not 

 improve until either you cooperate-w ith farmers and sup- 

 port them in their efforts to maintain the prices of their 

 commodities at a level comparable to the prices of your 

 manufactured goods and ser\'ices, or else you remove the 

 price and production controls exercised through corporate 

 and labor organization and allow the prices of your goods 

 and services to seek a lower level down with farm prices. 



"I believe the responsible business leaders of Chicago 

 can use their influence effectively w ith certain of your news- 

 papers to bring about more friendly relations through 

 greater accuracy and fairness in dealing with agricultural 

 problems. More frequent conferences and efforts between 

 business leaders and farm leaders to understand each oth- 

 ers problems can immeasurably improve relations between 

 Chicago and the rural sections of the great middle west " 



The State Milk Marketing Bill 



HALL Illinois milk producers and consumers be 

 given the protection of a sane and sensible state 

 milk marketing act with a board empowered to 

 license and Ixind milk distributors, audit their records to 

 insure honest payment to farmers according to the amount 

 of milk sold in the different classifications, look into the 

 division of the consumer"s milk dollar, and act as an um- 

 pire when disorder and strife on any market threatens to 

 interfere with the regular deliver}' of a wholesome supply 

 of milk.^ 



This in a nutshell is the decision the .state legislature 

 must make in acting on House Bill -483, the so-called state 

 milk control bill. 



In the hearing on the bill before the House sitting 

 as a Committee of the Whole at Springfield, May II, 

 friends of the bill repeatedly pointed out that producers are 

 being regimented as to the kind of barns, milk houses, 

 cooling tanks, hot water heaters and even the clothes they 

 shall wear, by city health ordinances. Yet the farmer has 

 no protection whatsoever to guarantee him payment for 

 milk delivered, a fair minimum price, and an impartial 

 audit to insure honesty in settling for the milk according 

 to its use by the distributor. 



In hundreds of conferences and meetings. President 

 Larl C. Smith pointed out in his testimony, the dealers 

 have insisted on maintaining their margins of profit. Or- 

 ganized labor has bluntly demanded a certain wage level. 

 And the producers have had to take what was left. 



'Farmers have no quarrel with dealers for seeking a 

 lair return upon honest investment and for needed serv- 

 ices," he said. '"And they have no quarrel with labor for 

 securing fair wages and reasonable working conditions. 

 But, when these results are achieved by taking an unjust 

 toll from the producers of farm products, farmers not only 

 have a right to object, but will use every reasonable means 

 at their command to insure fair dealings." 



The opposition to the Milk Marketing Bill would 

 have the public believe that farmers are trying to secure 

 an increase in the retail price of milk to the consumer. 

 Nothing is further from the truth. Farmers are merely 

 insisting upon securing their proper share of the con- 

 sumer's dollar, in full recognition of the fact that the law 

 of supply and demand ultimately controls the price the 

 consumer must pay for milk. 



34 



L A. A. RECORD 



