RED RIVER VALLEY TO FOOTHILLS 141 



shipping point they had agents whose business it was 

 to secure shipments of grain in car lots as well as buy- 

 ing on street. Many of these men were very popular 

 locally and as individuals were good fellows, well liked 

 by their farmer friends. A rebate on the charges for 

 loading grain through an elevator or the mere fact that 

 letting the elevator have it saved the bother of writing 

 a letter these were excellent inducements to the 

 unthinking farmer, and when added to this was the 

 element of personal acquaintance with the buyer, it 

 was hard to refuse. 



For your farmer is a man of simple code. He is not 

 versed in subterfuge and diplomacy. He takes words 

 at their face value, unless he distrusts you, just as he 

 hands them out himself. He lives a clean, honest life 

 and earns his money. If in some cases his viewpoint 

 is narrowed by treading much in the same furrows, it is 

 at least an honest viewpoint in which he really believes. 

 And one of the things in which the average farmer 

 prides himself is that he will "never go back on a 

 friend." Even a red Indian would not do that! 



In selling to the elevator these same farmers prob- 

 ably had no intention of unfriendliness to the farmers' 

 trading company. They hoped to see it succeed but 

 did not appreciate their individual responsibility in 

 the matter or realize that while their own personal 

 defection represented a loss to the Company of just one 

 shipment, the loss became vital when multiplied many 

 times all along the line. And the Company had no 

 agent on the ground to argue this out, face to face. 



Although many requests for the appointment of such 

 local agents reached the office, the directors decided 

 that it would be poor policy as it would mean appoint- 

 ing agents everywhere and abuses might develop. It 



