THE FOOD CRISIS AND AMERICANISM 69 



give to the farmers, whether great or small, a credit 

 accordingly a credit of real value to them, instead 

 of to the exploiters. Their funds would be available 

 when needed interest stopped when the emergency 

 passed. On account of the high cost of labor and ma- 

 terial, an almost infinitesimal percentage of our farm- 

 ers have suitable and permanent storage for their 

 grain. Hence, there is enormous waste. On the 

 other hand, if stored on the farms, it adds little or 

 nothing to their credit except locally. Therefore, 

 most of them are obliged to sell as soon as the grain 

 is harvested. Such a system would tend to a more 

 even distribution of sales of farm products through- 

 out the year, and check the sharp market fluctua- 

 tions, which are of advantage only to the profiteer. 

 Small mills would spring up as they did before dis- 

 criminating freight rates drove the small miller, and 

 with him the local storage warehouse, out of business. 

 In addition to discriminating rates and lack of storage 

 facilities, the country miller, during a large part of 

 the years, has to buy his grain from the elevators in 

 the large grain centers, subjecting him not only to the 

 expense of brokers' commission and profits, but to 

 freight on the grain to and from those centers. 



It is an economic absurdity that a large percentage 

 of the flour consumed in such States as Iowa, Nebraska 

 and Illinois should be milled at Kansas City or Minne- 

 apolis, or other cities entirely outside of these States. 



The trend of traffic in the United States is along 

 east and west lines, so except what little goes by the 

 Great Lakes during summer season, all food stuffs 

 produced west of the Great Lakes must be brought 



