WIDTH OF THE FIELD 253 



parts instead of concentrating for fullest buying and 

 selling power in the interest of the farmers in all three 

 provinces. With the individual organizations each 

 having a voice in the control of the central company 

 there did not seem to them to be justification for carry- 

 ing provincial divisions into the marketing machinery, 

 thereby weakening it. With this view the Saskatche- 

 wan representatives could not agree, holding out for a 

 separate selling channel for Saskatchewan grain. 



A committee was appointed to try to work out some 

 other solution to the problem of federating all three 

 farmers' companies and a new proposal was submitted 

 at a meeting of the Canadian Council of Agriculture, 

 held in Winnipeg in July, 1916. This second attempt 

 to get together was along the line of joint ownership of 

 subsidiary concerns which would look after certain 

 phases of the work an export company, a terminal 

 elevator company, the Public Press, Limited, and so on. 

 However, the plan did not work out satisfactorily. 



The feeling of the Alberta officials after the Regina 

 meeting was that even if Saskatchewan were not ready 

 at the present time to consider federation on a basis 

 acceptable to the other provinces, this should not over- 

 throw all idea of federation. In short, the Alberta 

 directors were strongly of the opinion that, failing 

 complete affiliation of the farmers' business organiza- 

 tions at this time, the organization in Alberta and the 

 Grain Growers' Grain Company should get together 

 nevertheless, and this suggestion they presented at the 

 meeting of the Canadian Council of Agriculture in 

 Winnipeg. 



As this was approved by the Grain Growers' Grain 

 Company and the Manitoba Association officials steps 

 were taken to go into the matter in detail, the Saskat- 



