COOPERATIVES, 1920-32 307 



eral Farm Board in 1930, it had commission houses in St. Louis, Indian- 

 apolis, Chicago, Peoria, Buffalo, Kansas City, Cleveland, Evansville, Pitts- 

 burgh, Sioux City, Cincinnati, and Detroit. 44 



The producers' group, although it did not radically increase the profits 

 of its members, did bring benefits to them. It helped improve business 

 methods; it gave the livestock producer more bargaining power; it 

 saved patrons money, improved service, and obtained for them better 

 credit facilities. It also agitated for a tariff on livestock and meats and for 

 the enactment of packer-control legislation, both of which were consid- 

 ered helpful to livestock producers. This association was active in farm- 

 relief legislation, particularly in the support of the Cooperative Marketing 

 Act of 1926 and the Agricultural Marketing Act of I929. 45 



Several months before the marketing plan of the Committee of Fifteen 

 had been ratified, the Central Cooperative Livestock Commission Associa- 

 tion was incorporated in South St. Paul in May, 1921. The Central was 

 an independent firm, not being affiliated with any general farmers' or- 

 ganization. It received no aid from the Committee of Fifteen, but it did 

 get help from the Minnesota Farm Bureau and the extension division of 

 the University of Minnesota. 



The Central had been brought into being by livestock producers around 

 the South St. Paul area who had long felt the need for marketing reform. 

 These producers had seen the hostile relations between the Equity Co- 

 operative Exchange livestock agency and the private merchants. This, 

 along with the ineffectiveness of the Equity firm, had a demoralizing ef- 

 fect on the producers. But this attitude of apathy soon changed to one of 

 direct action. In 1921 the "open market law" was passed which made boy- 

 cotts and discriminatory practices against cooperatives illegal. This en- 

 couraged the livestock producers to organize, and the result was the 

 Central Cooperative Livestock Commission Association. It began business 

 on August 8, i92i. 46 



44. Ibid., pp. 140-56. 45. Ibid., p. 274. 



46. Edwin M. Gaumnitz, "Marketing Livestock at South St. Paul," in H. B. 

 Price, ed., The Marketing of Farm Products (Minneapolis, 1927), pp. 131-32; Co- 

 operative Shipper (South St. Paul, Minn.), VII (March, 1927), p. 2; Central Co- 

 operative Association, Central Cooperative Association (South St. Paul, Minn., 1946) 

 [leaflet]. 



