Deep Furrows

s the things are worth about whic

office decided to stand by the farmers' co-operative marketing venture and risked disapproval to buy some of the young company's wheat; not only that, but the farmers' company was allowed the regular commi

on the men at the head of the young organization and especially upon the provisional President, who felt keenly the responsibilities of his o

y had his motives been questioned by suspicious farmers at organization meetings that he thought it would be better for the company if he occupied a less prominent place in the conduct of its affairs. The idea seemed to be prevalent that the organizers were enthusiastic for direc

n disheartened tones. "Gentlemen, I'll admit that I've got a littl

gency did get into proper running order. Although his associates tried to dissuade him altogether from the

or business the shareholders had practically doubled in number and over 1,500,000 bushels of farmers' grain had been handled by their own agency, its ability to dispose of wheat at good figures being demonstrated in spite of deprivation of trading privileges on the Exchange. Putting a conservative estimate upon the holdings of the farmers' venture into co-operative marketi

ectorate independent of the Association's directorate. The suggestion came from a tall young man who had a habi

an able man there, Ed," commented the re-elected

de of mind towards moral and economic questions. I like that young man's views, Kennedy; he seems to have a grasp of what this movement could accomplish-of the aims that mi

hotel afterward," remarked Kennedy. "That's how interested he was. We had quite a talk over the whole situation. Told me he had an arrangement to buy grain for Graves & Reilly, bes

elling stock, only eight men turned out," he recalled. "Crerar was one of them. I sold four shares. Crerar bough

nything he could do to help along a thing in which he believed as thoroughly as he believed in the grain growers' movement and the

he farmers with much interest and sympathy. He could not forget his own early experiences in marketing grain when the elevators offered him fifty-nine cents per bushel, nineteen cents under the price at the terminal

igor. But when, with characteristic spirit, he had pointed out the injustice of the price of

her elevators, for you're all a

n home again!" grinned the

nable charge; but although plenty of cars were available at the time, the spread cost him ten cents, a direct loss of seven cents per bushel. Besides this he wa

l he bore his own experience in mind and extended every possible consideration to the farmers who came to him. The elevator company, as a company, did no

lked three miles and a half each morning after milking the cows at home, arriving at the school soaking wet with dew from wading in

in a plan for attending the Collegiate at Portage la Prairie. He taught the school so well that after studying Lati

life at best for a young fellow ambitious to go farming. So at last he acquired a quarter-se

miles of its destination before he was overtaken and the whole machine seized for debt. It looked as if the thousands of logs which the residents of the district had taken out for the expected mill had been piled up to no purpose. Crerar, however, succeeded in m

ancement was their first and only thought at all times. Alex. Crerar liked that. If a thing were worth attempting at all, it was worth every concentration of effort. What these men were trying to accomplish appealed to him as a big thing, a bigger thing than mos

ce he sat down and wrote a letter, offering the suggestion on the chance that it might prove useful to the Executive. He did everything he could to build up the Company's business in the Ru

There were several good men available to succeed him; but he could not get it out of his head that the one man for the tasks ahead was the young fellow up at Russell. When he went there in June to speak

d sent the Vice-President to Russell to size up the situation quietly. Wh

Crerar was on hand. The Vice-president button-holed him, explaining that he was wanted on the Board o

charge and that T. A. Crerar was the man-when everybody present nodded approval, the man from Russell was speechless. If they had

't know anything about managing this

der of business?" as

e name of the new president was announced. Many of them had never heard of T.

ely, that is one thing which i

Appendix