CANADIAN WHEAT.

Hokitika Guardian, 30 July 1926, Page 3

CANADIAN WHEAT.

RIGHTS OF GROWERS. OTTAWA, July 12. An Act to amend the Canada Groin Act, prepared on behalf of the 125,000 members of the Canadian wheat pools, and significant as representing a test of strength between the private interests and the co-operative movement, passed all stages of the House of Commons on Thursday and was sent up to the Senate. The grain grower will thus have returned to him the right, denied him through an amendment to the Act last session, to have his grain shipped from privately owned elevators to terminals of his own choosing. Opposition to the Act arose from

the grain trade, as represented by the Winnipeg Grain Exchange and affiliated interests, which claimed that it would tend to put the private elevators out of business, as it would prevent them from sending the grain to their own terminals, where the real

profits arc made. The issue might never have arisen if it had not been for on event of su-

preme importance in the grain fields of "Western Canada, namely, the formation of the co-operative marketing system, popularly known as the wheat pools. This started in Alberta three years ago, and spread rapidly to the other prairie provinces, ami-lias already 125,000 members and tlio control or nearly GOO elevators, with terminals at Port Williams, Port Arthur and Prince Rupert. It is said to be the largest co-opera-tive movement controlling a single product in tile world. It does not buy grain, hut collects it from its members and sells it. returning to each member the average price received per grade, less only the expense and contractual

(eductions for reserves. Before the pools were formed n urge per cent of the profits went to h middleman, as instanced by the

bumper crop of 1923, when the grain was sold at a, price which represented an actual loss to the grower. However, as yet the pools controlled less than a third of the country elevators, and

were to some extent at the mercy of the private companies in 'the disposal

of their grain. The Act was originally framed to prevent injustice in the handling of grain and to give the owner full control of his product right up to the actual sale. This new Act simply restores to him the right of which he was deprived.

, NEW CROP. "WINNIPEG, June 12. Fourteen million acres sown to wheat in Western Canada this spring have been signed up by the Canadian "Wheat Pool, the co-operative marketing association of farmers in the prairie provinces, states an announcement by the organisation. “ Two-thirds of all the wheat grown in Manitoba. Saskatchewan and Alberta- in 1923 will he marketed co-oper-atively by the pool.” the announcement said. “ Success of this pool has demonstrated the advantages of co-op-erative marketing. Under the old system farmers sold their wheat to middlemen, who made a profit in re-sfcll-iug it. Now the pool sells the grain direct fo the purchaser, eliminating this handling expense and adding to the farmers’ profit.” Most of the crop marketed through the association is sold abroad.