212 THE GREEN RISING 



voice in naming the price on the products we 

 sell? Let's get control of the flow of the wheat crop 

 through our own association and be able to mer- 

 chandise it in a way that will let us have a voice 

 in making prices. Saving a few of the handling 

 charges would be merely saving pennies and letting 

 the dollars go by. What we have got to do is to 

 handle our crop so that it is worth more hi com- 

 parison with what we have to buy. We want to 

 increase the price level of wheat in comparison with 

 the manufactured goods and living expenses." 



Such statements as these have been responsible 

 for the charge that price fixing and monopoly con- 

 trol are the fundamental purposes of the cooperative 

 marketing movement. 



It is claimed that the system of pooling is de- 

 signed to effect a farmers' trust, and that its essen- 

 tial aim and outstanding characteristics are not 

 different from the old industrial trusts, most of 

 which have been outlawed by the federal govern- 

 ment. Is this criticism just? Does it reflect the 

 economic motives of those who have identified 

 themselves with the cooperative marketing associa- 

 tions? These are questions that deserve to be 

 answered and answered very definitely by the 

 friends of the cooperative marketing movement. 

 It is only fair to say that many farmers have been 

 actuated by the motives of monopoly and price 

 fixing. But those who have thought through the 

 economics of the plan have seen clearly and have 



