Idaho semi-weekly world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1875-1908, 1888-06-12
TIE COST or HONEY.



sation for our honey products' This
% no doubt the most serious qnes ion
of the day. to our business . rtainiv.
we say, if we can not find an outlet for
our honey at fair remuneration,
there IS no use In continuing to pro-
duce it. For years we have labsred TO
reduce Bookkeeping to a science, and
now that we have attained the long
sought goal. must we lay down our
smoker and enter some other oecupa-
ton that will offer better field for
our labor? / say, no! As we have
fought all difficulties in the past, and
overcome them. let US fight this one
in the future. We can certainly over
come it, if we go at it with long
pull, strong pull. and a pull alto
gethern
Let us see in the first place. where
! and with whom the trouble lies. and
| then we shall hare some foundation
on whicE to lay our plans.
H .ney, in one sense, Is luxury, but
why is it? Certainly not because there
is not enough produced to render it
staple, for tons Of it lie in the markets
Of our lar re cities from one years end
to another. 1t is not production
which renders it luxury. but the ex-
orbitant price asked for it by the retail
er. 1t has been urged by many that
the trouble lies with the middleinan.
TO certain extent this Is true. but it
lies more with the n1idlle-meB than
with the middle-man-for strange as
it may seem, there are two, three, and
in many cases four men between the
producer and the consumer. Take two
) or three men away. and the result
would be encouraging. for they must
all live. and, what is more. they do
: live, and at our expense. There is no
! alternative-th middlemen must go.
: I speak more particularly Of the conn
5 mission men than l do Of the jobber.
5 for at present it seems that the jobber
!. is necessary pest, but the commission
e men are one of the evils that we must
: get out of the way.
n Now for the greatest evil of them all,
+ to my mind (and | have made the mat
e ter thorough study retailer.
: He it is that by small degrees is fast
l. robbing us of our we'll earned bread
= and butter, and is gradually undermine
X ing our industry. Still, in justice to
n him, l might say, know it is very
natural for people to want large profits,
J. but with honey the retailer stands in
e. his own light. as well as blowing ours
n, almost out. Let us say, for example.
that the retailer goes to the jobber and
buys a first grade white comb honey
n for twelve or thirteen cents per pound.
He takes it to his store and immediate
ly puts placard on it which bears the
following: New clover honey-only
- twenty-five cents per pound All
There's the rub" There, friends, il
- the sign that makes honey a luxur,
40 and robs the producer of hi
III. hard-earned living. Here is the re
Oh taller making clear one hundred pc
cent. on every pound of our honey h
leu handles. Now poor people who Low
Oh honey can not afford to pay twenty
five cents per pound for it, and tn
ap wealthy class can not consume enoug
tue to empty our markets. What then,
IN the RESULT There seems to be onl
py one answer-it is luxury, and til
ION poor can not afford to buy it.
'he Now suppose this same dealer shoul'
"p- instead of putting twenty-five cents
'i'- the glowing placard, put fifteen cen
and thus be satisfied with two cen
vas profit on each pound; what would
Die, the resu!ta Why. he would sell lift
ana pounds where he only sold one at tt
sur former price, and this is where | clai
my he stands in his own light. For
nc that price the poor people would col
niue sumo it by the carload, for it woul
ieo then be just half the price of butte
and is certainly better for childrt
y than butter.
Ar How, then can we overcome this o
'ihs stacle? There are several ways, b
ms we must have the united efforts OF Il
d IN bee-keepers. There could be sto
,rm- company formed for the sole purpo
FRO of handling honey. Let the sto
SUD be held by the bee-keepers. Al
omb ha co,,p.nv RIM in their int,
C. W ests entirely. There is hon
company abroad, and l learn that
has met with unqualified success
would be we'll in this case to follow
the steps of our English brethren a
NIUE protect our interests. | would s.
have the stock shares very low, so II
u"s the smallest producer could be sto
49,, holder, and thus a company OF
4lttle kind in New York could comma
many every pound of honey that was sent
that city. What is more, they CO
II lot establish agencies in other cities,
it would be but 4 matter Of time I
more The bee-keepers would be protected
every sense.
ID to Again, they might unite on sta
ard price for which they would
'dhrd their honey and put labels on ey
box. with the price plainly print
III the telling the public to pay no more q
reS'e' the box price. Then we should h
the public's watchful eye to help
-- There are many ways to remedy
evil, and the subject is a broad one
SINAI! trust that our bee-keepcrs will wake
up Oh and consider this question OF pro
tion.-K. B. 7reGdWeH, IN Con'
,epest Gentleman.
lerest
p,T,Io lady had a curious