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Show BEET GROWERS APPEAL FROM SUGipiCES Declare That 'Tacked" Meeting Has No Authority to Bind Farmers in Agreement. ' DEMAND PROBE OF WHOLE SITUATION Call on Food Administrator to Acquaint Hoover With "Facts;" Government Operation Op-eration as Last Resort. Charging the sugar manufacturing interests in-terests with a deliberate conspiracy to force the beet growers of Utah and Jdaho ''to raise crops at an actual loss to satisfy the greed of a corporation, which seeks to conceal its rapacity under un-der the cloak of patriotism, M the In-termountain In-termountain Association of Sugar Beet Growers, through its executive committee, commit-tee, has directed an official communication communi-cation to W. W. Armstrong, federal food administrator for Utah, repudiating repudiat-ing a "so-called" agreement on the! ; part of beet growers to raise their 1918 , crops at a price fixed by the sugar j manufacturers. i The Intermountain association ! charges that the alleged agreement was entered into at a " packed" meeting of the "so-called" farm bureau, held at the Hotel Utah in Salt Lake, November Novem-ber '4 and 5 last, which meeting, it is charged, did not represent the growers ; of either Utah or Idaho and had no authority to act for or on their behalf. be-half. 3t is intimated that the sugar : manufacturers engineered the conven- i tioued. "packed" it and directed the i proceedings to further their own greed i for profits. Now, it is charged, the same interests are seeking, by abuse of appeals to patriotism, to stampede the growers into submission. The beet raisers, it is set forth, are willing to make a sacrifice for tlie welfare wel-fare of tlie nation, but do not feel that patriotism or duty to thnir country demands de-mands that they sacrifice ail to fatten fat-ten I he profits of t he corporation. Hence they refuse to be bound by the alleged unauthorized agreement of November No-vember 4 und and call upon Food Administrator Armstrong to so advise Herbert ('. Hoover, national food administrator, ad-ministrator, giving hint the facts in the Stluaticu. ThiH is asked because Mr. Armstrong, acting upon the information informa-tion furnished him from tho November meeting, had advised the federal food administrator that the beet growers of Utah and Idaho had agreed to raise their next year's crops at a price fixed by the sugar companies. Demand Fair Basis. The beet growers, through their executive exec-utive com mitt en, composed of N. T Peterson, Joseph Smith ;mi S K Jiund-qutst, Jiund-qutst, avow their wiiliugnesy to co-operate with the sugar manufacturers on a fair basis, but demand, if thn manufacturers manu-facturers refuse to be fair, that the government take over the sugar factories fac-tories and operate them for the welfare of the nation and all concerned. It is a sked that Mr. A rmstrotig use his influence to have the government appoint an unbiased commission at once to investigate and determine where justice lies as between the sugar manufacturer and the beet raiser. The official communication of the executive committee to Mr. Armstrong was presented to a meeting of beet growers at Granger last night and was unanimously approved by that meeting. The official communication to Mr. Armstrong is as follows: Tbe agreement purporten to nave been reached between tbe suffar companies com-panies and tbe beet growers at tho ( so-called t fa rm 'bureau meet lnj Ht the Hotel Utah on November A and is not and nver has been considered as binding hy the beet growers. Tho fanners of tbe state are practically unanimous in condemning tlie undemocratic-methods pursued In calling and conducting- that meetinc. They resent even the inference that the fourteen men at that meeting were authorized to speak Mr tlmm or to pledge them in any particular. Therefore, when you wired Kood Adm i nistra tnr Hoover that the farmers had pledged themselves them-selves to prow siitrar beets in 1!'1S on the terms dicta ted to them hy tlie putrar companies, your Impressions were U' Ise and your action can only lead to a misunderstanding on the pait of the Government and will only result in harm. Disclaim Hostility. The repudiation of the action taken at th's Hotel 1'ta.h meeting is not dje to licstili! v on the pa rt of the beet growers toward the farm bureau. The existing- dissatisfaction can be credited I to rhe fact that they arc not n:.)v f fa ilintr to make beet gr ovine profit". j abie but mon of th-m breve and are j suf ferine actual loss in this branch of iericmture. IVet rowers hrc.-p been taking stock both of the grow in g-ami manu!"aoT,irjrig-end manu!"aoT,irjrig-end of the business. They refuse to be further exploited as thf-y have l.een in the rast. Thv fail to understand why thev should be rahcj upon to m;;kc sacrifices m p!-"fiu--;:.g a crop wii: h t;;e rpiii-.uiv takes and coir.s into i;nre&.-o: ;) pr. -.:ts. Tl:ee iYLrme:-s Jo not .e'ipv that the government reouires tiiem to pro-d.; pro-d.; e a raw pioduot at h o.-s ary more i :.ar. it require-- a :i.h nufa. turer to i (Continued on Page Sixteen.) BEET GROWERS FIGHT PRICE AGREEMENT i (Continued from Page One.) turn out a finished commodity at a loss. They are strongly of the opinion . that the government will measure the patriotism of all its citizens by the . same gauge. They refuse to allow7 the companies to stampede them into growing sugar beets by the abuse of appeals to patriotism. The beet growers of Utah and Idaho are prepared and willing to make all sacrifices necessary to uphold the hands of the government. If they can best serve their country by planting sugar beets, then beets will be planted. plant-ed. But they draw a sharp distinction between their government and the corporation that would unduly fatten on the products which they produce from patriotic motives. When they make sacrifices they demand that the government and not a rapacious cor- ; poration profit therefrom. I As the representative of the United States food administrator in this state, we think you ought to be correctly cor-rectly informed. If you do not understand under-stand conditions as above set out, your sources of information are faulty and you should take steps to uncover tiie true situation. "Will Fight Increase." Tn these times men establish the measure of their patriotism by tho sacrifices they are willing to make. So far no intimation of sacrifice has emanated from the sugur companies. It is a notorious fact that those in control of these concerns have unceasingly un-ceasingly labored with the food administration ad-ministration to secure the largest 1 measure of profit from the business. . As the greatest Item of expense in the production of beet sugar Is the cost of beets, it takes only a cursory examination ex-amination of tho question to enable, one to understand that the sugar manufacturers will viciously fight any proposed increase In the price of beets. There is nothing to conceal in the at tit ude l he farmers have assumed. They court the fullest investigation. They stand only for right and justice. To this end do they appeal to you to use your influence In bringing about such an Investigation as will search out the secrets of this most essential and necessary business. The bee I growers In this territory are willing to co-operate with the sugar su-gar manufacturers. They recognize the Justice of reasonable profits. They maintain that they bear the risks and perform the major portion of the labor required to place a crop of sugar' on the market. If tho manufacturers rctuse to co-operate with them they invite the government to take over the factories and operate then: for tho public welfare. If such action is Uiken beets and labor to the utmost limit of the farmers' resources will be at. the disposal of the government lii the production of sugar. Ask for Commission. To the end that the foregoing may ho accomplished we ask that you induce in-duce tho government to appoint a commission, clothed with the ne-es-sory powers to effectually search into the merits of the question and determine deter-mine where justice lies as between the beetgrower and the sugar manufacturers. manu-facturers. LOS AXGKUES, Dec. 12. Thomas Lee Wool wine, dist riot at torn ev of Ios A n-geles n-geles county, who left here today for Washington to request itdd of tlie fcdeml food administration in bringing about an agreement between suirar-beet growers and sugar refiners as to the price to be paid for next season's crop of beets, expected ex-pected to lie joined at the capital by representatives rep-resentatives of beetSTOwers in Utah and Colorado. II. K. Whitley, representing beetirrowers In the t?an Fernando valley district, near here. accompanied Wool-wlne, Wool-wlne, who look with him a transcript of the testimony taken by the county grand jury in its recent investigation of the beet situation here. Representatives of farmers in other southern California districts were expected expect-ed to meet committees from other states in Washington. Dicsatisfnctin of beet farmers with the price offered bv refiners refin-ers for the IIS crop was decUred to thren ten a serious reduction in the beet acreage next year. |