The  RURAL.  NEW-YORKER 
Preparing  for  the  Rural  School  Battle 
Inclosed  find  clippings  from  Post  Standard  of  Sept. 
1.  No  one  knows  when  these  meetings  are  held  until 
they  are  over  with.  The  rank  and  file  of  the  country 
people,  I  believe,  are  not  represented  at  any  of  these 
meetings  or  hearings.  If  it  was  ever  right  to  give 
weaker  districts  increased  quotas  it  is  now,  and  I  be¬ 
lieve  it  should  be  done.  As  far  as  grades  and  qualifica¬ 
tions  are  concerned.  I  am  sure  we  country  people  have 
nothing  to  say  in  the  matter.  They  tell  us  that  con¬ 
solidation  will  not  cost  us  any  more  money.  "We  know 
better. 
In  a  district  that  I  know  that  was  trying  to  contract 
with  a  high  school  district,  the  least  for  which  we  could 
get  the  children  conveyed  (two  miles)  was  $000,  and 
that  for  part  of  the  year  only.  I  thought  perhaps  you 
might  comment  upon  the  clipping.  We  country  people 
certainly  appreciate  The  R.  N.-Y.’s  stand.  Thank  you. 
Tompkins  Co.,  N.  Y.  EDWIN  A.  hawks. 
RN.-Y. — This  refers  to  a  meeting  held  at  Syra¬ 
cuse,  N.  Y.,  by  the  Committee  of  Twenty- 
one,  and  its  friends.  It  was  attended  chiefly  by 
State  officials  and  officers  of  the  various  farm  or¬ 
ganizations.  The  object  was  to  organize  and  make 
full  plans  for  a  vigorous  campaign  in  favor  of  the 
proposed  new  school  bill.  Each  farm  organization 
and  such  individuals  who  care  to  do  so  will  be  in¬ 
vited  to  subscribe  money  to  form  a  campaign  fund 
to  “promote  publicity.”  It  was  suggested  that  small 
donations  be  solicited,  so  that  meetings  may  be  held 
everywhere.  It  was  voted  that  the  Committee  of 
Twenty-one  he  continued.  There  were  some  oppon¬ 
ents  of  the  hill  present,  but  they  joined  with  the 
others  in  calling  for  the  fullest  public  discussion  of 
the  bill.  It  seems  clear  that  practically  all  the  offi¬ 
cials  of  farm  organizations,  the  Farm  Bureau  papers 
and  all  agricultural  papers  except  The  R.  N.-Y. 
will  demand  the  passage  of  the  bill  without  amend¬ 
ment  or  qualification.  The  “line-up”  will  be  as  we 
predicted  last  week — organized  official  agriculture 
against  unorganized  farming.  It  will  be  a  great  bat¬ 
tle  and  it  will  determine  far  more  than  a  radical 
change  in  education.  It  will  decide  finally  whether 
the  plain  farmers  of  the  State  are  to  retain  their 
right  to  self-government  and  self-initiative,  or  be 
“regulated”  and  permanently  directed. 
Much  is  being  said  about  the  increased  cost  of 
consolidation.  In  order  to  learn  about  this  we  have 
written  our  readers  in  other  States  where  this  con¬ 
solidation  has  been  fully  worked  out.  Here  follows 
a  sample  reply  from  Iowa : 
Your  letter  at  hand,  asking  just  what  effect  consoli¬ 
dation  of  rural  schools  has  had  upon  our  taxes.  Our 
tax  levy  under  independent  district  was  general  con¬ 
solidated  24.20.  general  8.20  (1017).  Since  consolida¬ 
tion  with  the  town  school  the  levy  has  been  raised  to 
general  consolidated  35.20,  general  35  (1922).  Our 
land  values  have  been  raised  for  taxation  since  1917.  I 
estimate  the  increased  cost  under  consolidation  at  about 
80c  per  acre. 
Now  our  consolidated  district  has  voted  and  sold 
bonds  to  the  amount  of  $150,000  to  build  a  new  school- 
house.  This  will  add  about  another  80c  per  acre  to  run 
for  20  years.  This  school  will  be  the  last  word  in  con¬ 
struction  and  equipment.  I  would  rather  give  money 
for  education  than  for  any  other  cause.  Yet  I  seriously 
doubt  the  wisdom  of  this  great  outlay  of  funds.  Coun¬ 
try  children' will  learn  more  and  faster  with  these  ad¬ 
vantages.  Being  consolidated  with  the  town,,  they  will 
lose  about  as  much  in  morals  as  they  will  gain  in  edu¬ 
cation.  It  is  working  that  way  here. 
Grundy  Co.,  Ia.  harlow  rockhill. 
Almon  R.  Eastman 
WE  regret  to  learn  of  the  death  of  our  old 
friend,  Almon  R.  Eastman  of  Waterville,  N. 
Y.  lie  passed  on  at  the  ripe  age  of  82,  respected  by 
all  who  knew  him.  Mr.  Eastman  was  born  in  Ohio 
on  July  27,  1841,  and  came  to  New  York  when  20 
years  old.  His  father  was  a  farmer — one  of  the 
old  abolitionists  who  helped  many  a  fugitive  slave 
to  escape.  Boys  brought  up  on  an  old-time  farm 
under  the  influences  of  those  strenuous  days  ac¬ 
quired  sturdy  character  and  uncompromising  convic¬ 
tions  of  right.  Mr.  Eastman  was  no  exception.  We 
always  knew  just  where  to  find  him  in  the  trouble¬ 
some  days  of  the  old  Department  of  Agriculture, 
when  public  men  were  forced  to  stand  up  and  be 
counted  on  one  side  or  the  other  of  what  has  gone 
into  history  as  “the  celebrated  cattle  case.”  There 
were  many  trimmers  and  compromisers  in  that  day, 
but  Mr.  Eastman  stood  up  straight  and  square  as 
he  always  did  for  what  he  considered  the  right.  He 
was  a  man  of  the  highest  character;  loved  by  his 
neighbors  and  friends— -a  kindly  citizen  who  has 
more  than  the  usual  number  of  public  and  private 
benevolences  to  his  credit.  A  good  life,  well  lived! 
A  New  Dairy  Competitor 
HE  August  report  of  the  National  City  Bank  of 
New  York  speaks  of  Western  development  in 
dairying,  and  of  new  competition  soon  to  enter  this 
market.  It  seems  that  while  wheat  growers  in  the 
Northwest  are  complaining  bitterly  about  farm  con¬ 
ditions,  the  dairymen  in  Minnesota  and  North  Da¬ 
kota  are  fairly -prosperous.  "The  dairy  cow  comes 
to  the  rescue”  is  a  favorite  way  of  putting  it.  More 
and  more  of  the  wheat  growers  are  turning  to  dairy¬ 
ing.  This  will  soon  mean  a  great  increase  in  the 
production  of  butter  and  cheese.  Of  course  a  mar¬ 
ket  must  be  found  for  these  dairy  goods,  and  natur¬ 
ally  the  Northwestern  dairymen  are  looking  to  the 
towns  and  cities  on  the  North  Atlantic  slope.  The 
bank  report  says : 
A  new  line  of  motor-driven  boats;  specially  designed 
for  the  lakes  and  the  Erie  Canal,  will  shortly  begin 
operations  between  Duluth  and  New  York  City.  They 
will  be  equipped  with  refrigerator  holds,  especially 
planned  for  dairy  products,  promise  to  cover  the  full 
distance  in  nine  days,  and  are  expected  to  demonstrate 
to  the  farmers  of  the  Northwest  the  value  of  the  free 
waterway  upon  which  New  York  State  has  expended 
the  sum  of  $170,000,000. 
But  what  of  the  farmers  of  New  York  State,  who 
have  paid  a  good  share  of  the  cost  of  this  waterway, 
and  now  find  it  being  used  to  compete  in  this  way 
with  their  natural  industry  in  their  natural  market? 
That  is  the  way  one  farm  industry  after  another  in 
New  York  State  has  been  undermined  and  made  un¬ 
profitable. 
Roadside  Markets  and  Dehydration 
It  has  come  to  my  attention  that  wayside  markets 
have  become  decidedly  competitive  of  town  and  city 
markets.  I  have  not  made  any  observations  around 
Washington,  but  in  my  tour  of  Michigan  the  fact  was 
brought  to  my  attention.  The  automobile  has  changed 
conditions  wonderfully.  Now  the  city  or  town  con¬ 
sumer  can  drive  long  distances  in  a  short  time,  and 
combine  business  with  pleasure,  picking  up  here  and 
there  fresh  country  produce  direct  from  the  farmer,  to 
the  mutual  advantage  of  both.  I  believe  the  farmer 
should  share  the  spread  of  the  transportation  cost  with 
his  city  or  towrn  customer,  and  ift  most  cases  he  does. 
This  roadside  market  situation  is  certain  to  increase, 
and  affect  economic  conditions  wonderfully. 
I  was  interested  very  much  in  your  article  on  de¬ 
hydration  in  The  R.  N.-Y.  It  seems  to  me  that  the 
process  will  be  a  wonderful  help  to  the  bean  grower. 
As  you  know,  the  two  weeks  from  the  time  the  beans 
are  mature  till  they  are  harvested  determines  the  profit 
or  loss  of  the  crop.  And  it’s  the  weather  that  is  the 
determining  factor.  If  the  grower  can  control  this  har¬ 
vesting  period  by  dehydration  it  will  be  decidedly  to 
his  advantage.  F.  N.  clark. 
Waste;  Or  Government  Distribution 
Part  I 
I  always  read  anything  from  Mrs.  Greenwood’s  pen 
with  pleasure,  although  I  cannot  agree  with  her  politi¬ 
cally.  I  want  to  mention  what  seems  to  me  her  fun¬ 
damental  error.  It  is  also  the  error  of  her  party,  the 
Progressive.  Other  parties  that  make  the  same  error 
are  the  Non-Partisan,  the  Populist,  and  other  “isms.” 
It  is  that  she  expects  too  much  from  legislation.  I 
know  perhaps  better  than  she  does,  having  experienced 
it  longer,  the  wrongs  of  the  farmer,  but  I  believe  that 
those  wrongs  can  be  bettered  only  slightly  by  legisla¬ 
tion.  She  may  say.  “Very  well ;  let’s  have  that  little.” 
Don’t  expect  much  from  legislation,  for  you  won’t 
get  it.  If  you  will  allow  your  mind  to  drift  to  the 
political  past  you  will  see  the  truth  of  my  statement. 
If  you  allow  your  judgment  to  be  influenced  by  “the 
slings  and  arrows  of  outrageous  fortune,”  you  may 
retain  your  present  opinion.  j.  r.  field. 
A  POPULAR  NEED. — While  1  do  not  agree  with 
you  that  the  farmer  would  be  benefited  but  slightly 
by  legislation,  I  do  think  that  conditions  can  be  bene¬ 
fited  only  slightly  by  slight  legislation.  What  is  needed 
is  not  slight  legislation.  I  feel  little  gratitude  for 
that.  We  have  had  too  much  of  it  in  the  past — a  bone 
thrown  to  the  farmer  to  make  him  follow  the  politi¬ 
cian’s  wagon.  What  is  needed  is  radical  legislation. 
There  may  be  remedies  which  do  not  need  law-making 
to  stabilize  them,  but  where  are  they?  Influenced  en¬ 
tirely,  I  frankly  admit,  by  the  stings  of  outrageous 
personal  experience,  my  best  judgment  insists  that  it 
is  time  for  the  Government  of  the  United  States  to 
market  the  farm  crops.  This  can  be  brought  about  only 
by  legislation — so  bring  on  your  legislation  as  rapidly 
as  possible,  in  the  name  of  the  Progressive,  the  Non- 
Partisan,  the  Populist,  the  Democratic,  the  Republi¬ 
can,  or  any  other  party,  and  you  may  have  my  vote. 
Why  should  not  the  Government  market  the  crops? 
Is  there  anything  more  important  to  a  nation  than  the 
distribution  of  its  food  supply?  You  will  admit  that 
food  is  a  universal,  vital,  and  imperative  need.  I 
have  never  seen  a  hungry  person  in  the  country  ex¬ 
cept  just  before  mealtimes.  Can  you  say  as  much  for 
the  city?  Have  your  city  people  all  they  want  to 
eat?  Can  you  say  that  none  are  famished  today? 
Dare  you  affirm  that  every  child  has  received  this 
day  its  full  portion  of  “daily  bread?” 
A  SOURCE  OF  CRIME. — !We  know  that  our  Gov¬ 
ernment  is  interested  in  the  reduction  of  crime.  Yet 
statistics  show  that  a  large  percentage  of  crime  origi¬ 
nates  with  the  undernourished  of  the  cities,  and  is  no 
doubt  the  direct  result  of  this  condition.  We  have  our 
free  public  schools,  but  how  are  you  going  to  educate 
the  brain  which  has  for  its  foundation  a  gnawing 
stomach?  You  may  be  able  to  educate  crime  out  of 
the  individual,  but  I  Avould  rather  take  my  chances  on 
feeding  him  into  better  morality.  Most  of  us  are  good 
under  good  conditions.  Let  Unc-le  Sam  take  half  of  the 
money  which  he  now  devotes  to  penitentiaries  and  de¬ 
vote  it  to  putting  the  food  supply  within  reach  of  the 
poorest  in  the  land,  and  note  the  result. 
A  FAILURE. — Our  present  marketing  system  is  a 
failure.  Everyone  but  the  middleman  will  admit  this. 
The  consumer  thinks  he  is  getting  the  worst  of  the 
I  181 
deal,  and  the  farmer  is  certain  that  the  cards  have 
been  stacked  so  far  as  lie  is  concerned.  What  would 
you  think  of  a  system  which  has  always  refused  to 
accept  any  but  the  biggest  and  best  potatoes  in  the 
farmer’s  field,  forcing  him  to  leave  to  rot  all  the  rest? 
Can  you  tell  me  that  these  potatoes  which  the  middle¬ 
man  sells  at  $4  a  hundred,  having  bought  them  at  75 
cents,  are  the  only  potatoes  which  could  be  sold?  Do 
you  believe  that  the  poor  people  of  the  cities  would 
not  be  glad  of  those  good  culls,  at  a  low  price,  which 
are  now  wasted?  What  regulates  the  price  of  produce 
at  present?  It  is  in  the  hands  of  the  commission 
men.  If  they  believe  there  is  too  large  a  crop  of  any 
particular  thing,  they  refuse  to  make  an  offer  that 
will  pay  the  expense  of  harvesting,  if  they  make  any 
offer  at  all.  It  is  not  governed  by  Avhether  the  hungry 
people  need  the  food,  but  by  whether  it  will  be  profit¬ 
able  to  the  commission  man.  In  the  year  2923  the  state¬ 
ment  I  have  just  made  will  be  received  with  incredulity 
and  hilarity,  for  I  believe  by  another  thousand  years 
our  citizens  may  wake  up  to  the  absurdity  of  the 
farmer  raising  his  crops  for  the  benefit  of  the  com¬ 
mission  men  instead  of  for  feeding  the  hungry. 
FARM  ECONOMY,  probably  the  best  farm  manual 
in  the  United  States,  comments  on  the  principal  weak¬ 
nesses  of  the  organization  and  methods  of  the  whole¬ 
sale  produce  trade  ; 
“1.  Opportunity  for  fraud  and  sharp  practices.  This 
is  due  largely  to  the  fact  that  country  shippers  are 
not  adequately  represented  in  wholesale  markets — a 
very  important  phase  of  the  marketing  problem. 
“2.  Lack  of  adequate  inspection  systems.  For  such 
commodities,  like  grain,  there  are  splendid  inspection 
and  grading  systems,  a  function  which  has  been  taken 
over  by  the  Government  in  many  States.  For  other 
commodities  an  inspection  service  is  either  inadequate, 
or  lacking  altogether. 
“3.  Wholesale  markets  are  often  poorly  located, 
sometimes  greatly  congested,  and  often  lacking  in 
proper  terminal  facilities. 
“4.  Lack  of  an  adequate  price-quotation  system.  For 
some  commodities  the  methods  of  determining  quota¬ 
tions  have  reached  a  high  degree  of  development, 
while  for  others  they  are  inadequate.  Also  the  quo¬ 
tation  system  in  some  cities  is  more  efficient  than  in 
others. 
’  “ Many  features  of  the  marketing  system  can  be 
dealt  with  efficiently  only  by  the  Government  itself.” 
(The  italics  are  mine.) 
FIXING  PRICES.— What  determines  or  fixes  the 
price  of  wheat,  for  instance?  If  you  are  as  ignorant  as 
I  used  to  be  you  will  say  that  it  is  according  to  the 
number  of  hungry  people  in  the  world.  Nothing  of 
the  sort.  The  price  of  wheat  is  decided  by  what  Liver¬ 
pool  is  willing  to  pay.  Of  course  Liverpool  is  the 
thermometer  which  registers  the  world  demand  and 
supply,  but  it  is  not  the  demand  of  the  hungry  people 
of  the  world,  but  the  demand  of  the  monied  people  of 
the  world.  Farmers  have  tried  to  reach  these  hungry 
people  themselves  by  means  of  co-operation.  Minne¬ 
sota  leads  a’l  the  other  States  in  this  regard,  and 
great  things  have  been  accomplished.  True,  many  of 
the  co-operative  concerns  are  not  entirely  farmer- 
owned,  but  they  are  conducted  in  a  way  entirely  satis¬ 
factory.  But  Minnesota  is-  the  exception  that  proves 
the  rule.  It  will  take  a  thousand  years,  nay,  even 
more,  before  all  the  States  are  on  as  successful  a  co¬ 
operative  basis,  if  they  ever  are. 
CO-OPERATIVE  ORGANIZATIONS.  —  The  diffi¬ 
culties  in  this  system  are  almost  insurmountable.  “Fun¬ 
damental  Principles  of  Co-operation  in  Agriculture,” 
California  Circular  No.  123,  by  G.  Harold  Powell, 
states  the  situation  clearly  ; 
“A  co-operative  organization  of  farmers  must  be 
founded  on  economic  necessity  if  it  is  to  be  permanent¬ 
ly  successful.  The  reason  for  its  existence  must  lie  in 
some  vital  service  which  it  is  expected  to  perform,  if 
it  is  to  have  strength  enough  to  live  in  the  face  of  the 
competition  to  which  it  will  be  instantly  subjected.  It 
must  compete  with  existing  organizations,  and  this  com¬ 
petition  will  be  directed  towards  eliminating  it ;  it  will 
be  viciously  attacked ;  every  conceivable  form  of  mis¬ 
representation  will  be  leveled  against  it;  the  officers 
will  be  attacked  by  insidious  rumors  concerning  their 
ability  or  integrity,  the  banks,  especially  in  the  newer 
sections,  may  be  controlled  by  competitors,  and  may  re¬ 
fuse  to  furnish  the  necessary  credit ;  and  every  weapon 
known  to  competition,  either  legitimate  or  disrepu¬ 
table,  will  be  used  to  put  it  out  of  business.” 
SELLING  GRAIN. — In  the  Northwest  the  line  ele¬ 
vators  used  arbitrary  and  unscrupulous  methods  in 
dealing  with  the  farmers,  who  finally  would  tolerate 
this  treatment  no  longer,  but  built  elevators  of  their 
own.  As  a  result  the  railroads  refused  to  give  the  farm¬ 
ers  trackage,  or  sell  them  sites  convenient  for  loading 
on  trains.  The  line  elevators  immediately  raised  their 
price  on  grain,  thus  commanding  the  market,  for  there 
were  enough  farmers  who  considered  the  interests  of 
their  own  pockets  more  highly  than  the  treasury  of  the 
co-operative  company  to  be  willing'to  sell  out  to  the 
line  elevators  at  the  advanced  price.  Poor  farmers! 
Even  a  penny  extra  looked  big  to  them  !  And  for  the 
added  cent  they  caused  the  ruin  of  their  own  co-oper¬ 
ative  elevators.  The  next  year  they  were  worse  off  than 
ever,  the  line  elevators  having  it  all  their  own  way, 
setting  the  price  as  low  as  they  pleased.  Served  the 
farmers  right?  If  only  the  guilty  had  been  punished 
that  verdict  might  be  well,  but  the  ignorant,  grasping 
farmer  has  always  held  back  the  intelligent,  and  caused 
the  punishment  of  the  innocent  who  would  change  con¬ 
ditions  for  the  better. 
MARKETING  POTATOES.— The  recent  attempt 
at  co-operative  marketing  of  potatoes  as  a  nation-wide 
enterprise  has  caused  a  great  deal  of  comment  in  the 
press.  The  R.  N.-Y.  views  this  attempt  with  notable 
sanity  and  perspicacity.  “To  market  the  national  po¬ 
tato  crop  is  too  big  a  job  for  a  centralized  co-operative 
association.  .  .  .  True  co-operation  is  possible  only 
in  localized  groups,  because  it  would  be  impossible  for 
farmers  widely  distributed  to  direct  a  centralized  busi¬ 
ness,  and  without  the  personal  direction  of  members  an 
association  cannot  be  co-operative  The  large  central¬ 
ized  organizations  have  not  been  permanently  success¬ 
ful  heretofore.  The  arrangement  of  federated  local 
associations  has  been  generally  successful.  The  Fed¬ 
eral  government  should  furnish  warehouses  for  pota¬ 
toes,  as  it  used  to  do  for  whisky,  and  see  that  the  crop 
is  regularly  distributed  over  the  season.  The  local  co¬ 
operative  associations  could  then  move  the  crop  direct 
from  the  fields  through  these  warehouses  to  the  con¬ 
sumer  in  a  steady  supply.  Speculation  and  monopoly 
would  be  eliminated.”  I  go  one  step  further  than  The 
R.  N  -Y.  by  asking.  “Why  depend  upon  the  not  infal¬ 
lible  local  co-operative  associations?  Why  should  not 
the  Federal  government  organize  the  farmers  for  the 
marketing  of  the  crops  which  are  to  be  held  in  the 
Federal  warehouses?”  a xnie  pike  greenwood. 
(To  Be  Continued) 
