Wheat plunderbund out to make a killing

Out of the economic crisis which followed hard on the heels of World War 1, Canadian
farmers in the prairie provinces created the Wheat Pool as an instrument of the farmers to
combat the combined grain, milling and baking trusts, then organized through the Win-

nipeg Grain Exchange.

In the 30’s, through the efforts of “kulak” political opportunists

who had secured leadership of the Wheat Pool, it wes drawn back into the web of the
grain octopus it was created to combat. In the econemic aftermath of World War 2, the
monopolists of the Grain plunderbund are again moving to liquidate the Wheat Pool en-
tirely, as a prerequisite to putting a complete squeeze on producer and consumer alike in

order to maintain their fabulous profit levels.

By ALFRED C. CAMPBELL

Wer speaks for the Canadian farmers? Who has fought
the battles on his behalf for decent farm Plices ;

against monopoly control and for security of tenure?

One

would gather from the screaming advertisements issued in
every paper across the Dominion that it was the Winnipeg
Grain Exchange and its pack of grainpit wolves who have
in the past amassed millions of dollars out of the prairie

wheat fields.

Why is it they are able, on
the eve of every government
decision on wheat poliey, to
have carefully calculated adver-
tisements in every paper? What
connections have they with gov-
ernment circles that they are
better informed on what dis-
cussions are taking place on ag-
ricultureal policy than anyone

else and try to influence it be-
even

fore it is announced ?

Why?

fhe worker who builds farm
equipment has to fight every
inch of the way te get a de
Cent wage te meet increased
living costs, a big slice of
which goes to the big milling
and baking trusts, such as
Ogilvie Flour Mills and its
chain of bakeries, i

Because the Winnipeg Grain
Exchange and G@ S. Thoarvald-
son, Manitoba’s Tory : MLA,
along with Searle Grain Com-
pany, are out to scuttle the
Wheat Board, remove the prin-
ciple of set wheat prices; jetti-
son the cooperative Wheat Pool
and bring disaster to Canadian
agriculture.

This conspiracy has been un-
der way for some time now.
The Income Taxpayers Associa-
tion is the Canadian counter-
part of the National Tax -Equal-
ity League in the United States.
Both have been campaigning and
with some success to forc& gov-
ernments to impose vicious, dis-
eriminatory taxation on farm
cooperatives.

On December 9, 1944, the Ga-
nadian Tribune carried an ar-
ticle by the present writer ex-
posing the Conspiracy against
the Wheat Pools being organ-
ized by the Income Taxp-zyers’
Association and its Winnipee
Grain Exchange backers led by
G. S. Thorvaldson, Tory MILA.
Ontario Attorney-General Black-
well was named as a supporter
ef Thorvaldson. When not busy
trying to break strikes he sup-
ports movements to smash co-
operatives.

That there is a two-forked at-
tack on the Wheat Pools can be
seen in the present activity of

the Winnipeg Grain Exchange
to wreck the Wheat Board
while the ITA conducts false

propaganda oan taxation of co-
operatives. Last week another
high priced advt. appeared in the
daily press urging the govern-

ment to collect $25,000,000 so-
called back taxes from the
‘wheat poois.

Through advertisements, cir-

culars and petitions this gang,
in hopes of arousing the farm-
ers to demand abolition of the
Wheat Board want once again
to have control of grain prices
in Canada. They argue that the
Canadmn farmer should have
all the price possible to squeeze
out of the overseas markets.
They and their monopolist
friends in the United States
have been able to hinder wheat
price agreements with Great
Britain. They have forced Bri-
tain to ration bread for the first
time since the Napoleonic wars.

And a scrutiny of their ad-
vertisements will soon reveal
that one ef the reasons is a
dislike of~the fornr of govern-
ment in Britain along with the
desire to have centrol of grain
marketing and price _ setting.
They have spent hundreds of
theusands of dollars in propa-
Ganda trying to ralky the farm-
ers. behind them to smash the

Wheat Board and cripple the
cooperatives.
S
EH present position of the

cooperatives and the CGana-
dian Federation of Agriculture
is that they want set prices
which guarantee sufficient in-
come to the farmers for them

FACIFIC TRIBUNE — PAGE 10

-ments

to carry on their operations, put
capital investment in the farm
and make a decent living. By
mo means are farmers satisfied
With present prices. A floor
price of $1.55 a bushel is not
too much. But that is no reason
why they should allow the Grain
monopolists to lead them into
@ campaign which would abol-
ish the Wheat Board and per-
mit the Hixchange to once again
have the prairies in its power.

The story of Wheat and its
tribulations both at the hands

A. GC. CAMPBELL
“ . . & Saga of struggle.”

of the Winnipeg Grain Ex
change and successive govern-
is @ sorry one and well
deserving of a pamphlet out-
lining its history for the young
People of Western Canada. But
certainly let no one be fooled
by the advertisements of the
Winnipeg Grain Exchange.
Should they ever again get con-
trol of wheat they will beost
the prices to the starving peo-
ple of Europe and rob the farm-
ers of Western Canada and ruin
their markets. They have done
it before. They will do it now.
They not only have a sordid re-
cord of cheating him on grades
but also combining to decrease
prices to him in the fall and
Selling for double on the mar-
ket. Not once since it was form-
ed from the Northwest Grain
Dealers Association has the
Winnipeg Grain Exchange ever
defended the farmers’ interests.
In 1902 the CPR and the ele-
vator combine forced the farm-
ers to. accept their terms with

the result that the difference
between “track” and “street”
prices widened from 21% cents

a bushel early in October to 10
cents at the end of the month.

Now the same gang pretend
to be the farmers’ friend after
erganizing a campaign for the
past two years to destroy his
cooperatives and increase his
taxes.

The history of western Canada
is a saga of struggle and sor-
row in the battles against inter-
locking monopoly. At every stage
of the struggle the farmers no
sooner won a victory than the
grain trade ~found the
whereby they rendered the ad-
vantage null and void. And in
this they have been helped by
the Liberal and Tory govern-
ments. The recent price in-
creases ig steel and farm im-
plements and gasoline have taken
big chunks out of the few cents
increase the government grant-
ed the farmers after they be-

means ©

Seiged Ottawa for higher wheat

prices. In the same manner as
the monopolies decrease the real
wages of the workers, through
price increases, so is the price
of a bushel of wheat decreased
through added costs of produc-
tion. Z
e@.

LITTLE research on the di-

rectors of big industrial and
agricultural concerns will soon
prove to both worker and far-
mer that the same monopolist
exploits them both. For instance
Charles Dunning, head of the
Qgilvie Flour Millis, which con-
trols chains of bakeries and has
connections with the Winnipeg
Grain Exchange is also a direc-
tor of the Steel Company of
Canada.

Charlie Dunning not only sets
wages for the Steel Company
of Canada employees, he also
influences prices for wheat and
dictates the price of bread. J.
S. Duncan recently got a 12%
pereent price increase in farm
implements but he continues to
tell farmers that the “high”
wages paid industrial workers is
responsible for the high prices
of farm implements. The costs
ef production to the farmer is
up but the workers do not re-
Ceive its equivalent in wages.
The big monopolists try to keep

wages down and increase in-

dustrial prices te the farmer..
@:

WN 1939 the farmer entered

the war with lost wheat

markets and depressed - farm

prices. The average price was

49 cents a bushel when war
broke out. In 1932 No. 1 Nor-
thern wheat was down to 38%
cents a bushel on the Winnipeg
Grain Exchange; the average
price being around -.30 cents.
Farm equipment and buildings
in 1939, after 10 years of crisis,
were in bad shape: it being gen-
erally estimiated that over $150,-
000,000 was needed by the far-
mers for equipment alone! But
fawm prices and industrial wages
did not rise. The price of con-
sumers’ goods and _ industrial
equipment to agriculture soared
rapidly until price ceilings were
imposed in 1941. It was not un-
til 1943 that farm prices be-
gan to rise and here and there
small wage increases were
‘granted.

The so-called high wages of
the worker came as a _ result
of long hours and steady em-
ployment. The so-called huge
farm returns came from assured
markets and extended produc-
tion. At the end of the war the

monopolists have retained high
profits and increased prices to
both worker and farmer. But,
the workers’ real wages have
decreased and the farmers’ re-
turns during the war went
“mostly to pay mortgage debt

controlled by thé same people
who own Stelco, Massey-Harris
and the Winnipeg Grain Ex-
change.

Here and there voices are to
be heard among the farmers
echoing the false propaganda of
the Winnipes Grain Exchange.
Let them beware of the Greeks
bearing strange gifts. Let them
remember there are people in
government cireies tied to the
grain wolves only too glad to
abolish the Wheat Board. Then
would follow the complete abo-
lition of price controls to put
agriculture and the industrial
worker again at the complete

€

The farmer has been robbed
by the Winnipee Grain Ex-
change and the organized grain
trade for years, while he has
paid monopely prices for farm
implements and other indus-
trial goods. A total absence
of “parity” prices has kept the
majority of Canadian farmers
in a perpetual state of semi-
impoverishment,

mercy of the monoplists. That's
what the Winnipeg Grain Ex
change want.
@:
IE people of Europe need
wheat at reasonable prices.
They deserve it. The government

of Canada can send wheat at

reasonable prices and the Cana-
dian farmers should have a set
price from the government each
year which guarantees a decent
standard of living. Adjustments
can be + made through the
Wheat Board with an eye te re-
taining the widest markets. But if
wheat subsidies are required it
Should come from other sourees
in Canada than the farmer’s liv-
ing standards: from swollen big
business profits.

The farmers need cheaper in=
dustrial goods. The industrial
worker needs higher wages.
This means the united effort of
the farm and labor moyements
te retain the principle of price
controls; curb monopoly price
increases and swollen profits.
This demands united political
action of labor and farmers.
They must spurn the “Judas?
Goats”
iixchange who would lead them
to slaughter.

FRIDAY, AUGUST 9, 1946

of the Winnipeg Grain