INTERNAL ELEVATORS 177 / 



as upon behalf of settlers in newer districts. The 

 commission, therefore, while not saying that there were 

 no cases of sharp practice or no grounds for dissatis- 

 faction, were impressed by the fact that however 

 powerless farmers had been in earlier days they were 

 now in a very different position. The strong feeling 

 which many farmers had against the line elevator 

 companies was based upon experiences of rank injustice 

 and bitter recollections of the past ; for this the elevator 

 people could blame nobody but themselves. But the 

 factors enumerated undoubtedly had improved the 

 situation from the farmers' standpoint and it only 

 remained to strengthen these factors to give the farmer 

 complete control in the matter of initial storage. 



The commission were unanimous in recommending 

 co-operative organization of the farmers as the probable 

 solution of the situation in Saskatchewan. They 

 suggested the enactment of special legislation to pro- 

 vide for the financing of the undertaking by the farmers 

 themselves, assisted by a government loan. That is, 

 the farmers surrounding a point where an elevator was 

 needed would subscribe the total amount of capital 

 necessary to build it, paying fifteen per cent, in cash, 

 the crop acreage of the shareholders at that point to 

 total not less than 2,000 acres for each 10,000 bushels 

 capacity of the proposed elevator; these conditions 

 fulfilled, the government would advance the remaining 

 eighty-five per cent, of the subscribed capital in the 

 form of a loan, repayable in twenty equal annual instal- 

 ments of principal and interest, first mortgage security. 

 The commission also suggested that the responsibility 

 of preliminary organization be thrown upon the 

 farmers themselves by appointing the executive of 

 the Saskatchewan Grain Growers' Association as 

 12 



