2 COOPERATIVE MARKETING 



for the general upward tendency, and the failure of the 

 production of food to keep pace with the growth of popula- 

 tion explaining why food products have advanced in price 

 even more rapidly than commodities as a whole. Growing 

 scarcity of free land and remorseless exploitation of virgin 

 soil have brought it about that food can be produced in 

 sufficient quantity to meet the ever expanding needs of our 

 population only at increasing costs. The higher prices 

 which the farmer receives for his products have gradually 

 been capitalized and reflected to the value of his land. 

 When the farmer finds that he can sell his land at a high 

 figure he decides to move to town. The other side of the 

 picture is that the farmer's sons now find that buying land 

 is out of the question, and they too move to town. 



It follows that if some way can be found to avoid part 

 of the expense of placing products in the hands of con- 

 sumers progress will be made in solving the problem of 

 the high cost of living and also that of the cityward tend- 

 ency. Scientific agriculture is making a brilliant attack 

 on inefficient methods of production, sociologists are busy 

 reconnoitring the human aspects of the rural problem, but 

 thus far economists have given but meagre assistance to- 

 ward overcoming the business difficulties of the farmer. 

 Rural credit is in a condition far from satisfactory; dis- 

 tribution of farm products is haphazard; the cost of the 

 distributive system, if we can dignify it with the name 

 "system," is unnecessarily and indefensibly high. 



To be sure, plans are from time to time proposed for 

 reducing the cost of living by facilitating the marketing 

 of food products, but almost without exception these plans 

 are applicable to comparatively unimportant commodities 

 or to limited areas, while the great staples which absorb 

 so large a proportion of the social income are left to find 

 their way to market in the old aimless and expensive 



