THE N.F.U. AGAIN. -
It is deeply regretted by many-of those interested in the land that the National- Farmers' Union has definitely come out egainst-Aile-agalinciple of co-operation. In their Year
Book is the following pronouncement :—" If they [British farmers] are to follow.the example of Denmark, of the U.S.A.4 or of the Canadian Wheat Pools, the individual marketing of
farm produce must cease and farmers must set up their own distributiVe Machinery, to-control the marketing of their cropS;.
stock, etc., throrigh a bottle-tieck.' " The immediate result; of course, would be. fierce competition with - the existing
distributive machinery. . . The farther's business - is to produCe. foodstuffs. If he is to master his business; he 'has to
give all his tine to it from the outset of his career. The business of the wholesale or retail dealer in foodstuffs is - something which lies completely outside the farmer's provinee—he has nd time _hi. master the job of the corn merchant, the livestock • trader, the haft and -Vegetable -salesnian, etc." But for the place of its appearance one would -have thought that the whole passage and its sequel was written for men much more deeply interested- in middlemen's than in -producers'- profits: The' argument, if sound, would condemn even such efficient and
existing co-operative organizations as long ago " broke the big ring " in the Eastern' Counties: * * * *
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