238 DEEP FURROWS 



of the account along the lines followed in Saskatche- 

 wan; but the Government refused to assume the 

 responsibility. 



It was at this juncture that the enemies of co-opera- 

 tion were afforded a practical demonstration of the fact 

 that they had to deal not with any one farmers' organ- 

 ization but with them all. For the Grain Growers' 

 Grain Company stepped into the breach with its 

 powerful financial assistance. 



The Alberta farmers were clamoring for the handling 

 of farm supplies as well as grain; so that the young 

 trading company in Alberta had its hands more than 

 full to organize a full stride in usefulness from the 

 start. The organization of the United Farmers of 

 Alberta was growing very rapidly and the co-operative 

 spirit was tremendously strong throughout the pro- 

 vince. There was a demand for the handling of livestock 

 shipments and soon it was necessary to establish a 

 special Livestock Department. 



It will be recalled that one of the subjects in which 

 the Alberta farmers were interested from the first was 

 the possibility of persuading the Provincial Govern- 

 ment to undertake a co-operative pork-packing plant. 

 Following the report of the Pork Commission upon the 

 matter, however, official action on the part of the 

 authorities had languished. The various committees 

 appointed from year to year by the United Farmers 

 gradually had acquired much valuable data and at last 

 were forced to the conclusion that the development of a 

 packing industry along co-operative lines was not so 

 simple as it had appeared at first. Even in much older 

 settled countries than Alberta the question, they found, 

 had its complications. The first thing to discover was 

 whether tUe farmers of a community were able and 



