The diamond drill. (Crystal Falls, Iron County, Mich.) 1887-1996, 1896-09-26
A CREAMERY LESSON.
Effects of Industrial Depression in
Cities Brought Home in
a Practical Way.
STORY OF A KANSAS FARMER.
Decrease in the Consumption Of Food
by Laborers Affects the Sale
Of Farm Products

A stock-fecder of Kansas, recently in
Kansas City, tells story that IS worth
repeating for the excellent lesson which
il teaches. In certain town was
creamery. 1t gathered the cream from
the farms within a radius of ten miles
and manufactured about 400 pounds Of
butter per day. Beyond the limits Of
this circle from which cream was gath
cred there were number of farmers
who desired To sell cream, but were not
able 10 do so because the wagons from
the creamery did not reach their farms
One day delegation of these farmers
called at the Office of the creamery 10
consult the manager with reference 10
the enlargement of its business so as 10
include them and their ncighb0rs. They
explained 10 the manager that by send
ing his teams "A few miles farther IN
all directions he would double the guam
tity of cream gathered, double the amount
OF butter produced and consequently
double the profits of the creamery. The
farmers were disappointed when they
saw by the look on the managers face
that their proposition was not favorably
received There had been great deal
of gossip among the farmer patrons OF
the creamery that the price PAID Tor
of the concern were larger than they
ought TO be- and now these farmers
could not understand why business
which was making exorbitant prohts
should not be willing 20 enlarge itself, TO
double its output and consequently TO
double its profits.
The manager explained that 10 enlarge
the circle of their farmer patrons would
require an additional number of men
and teams 20 gather the cream, would
require additional machinery and an en-
larged plant with more buttcrmakers
and other operatives, all OF which
meant an additional Investment OF
money in which he did not feel justified
at this time
He explained that the price OF butter
was low. that thousands Of laborlng men
In the cities being ont of employment
were not eating butter. but were buying
oleOmnrgarinc and other cheap imita-
tiOns of butter. and because Of all these
discouraging circumstances he was unable
TO consider a proposition 10 enlarge the
business Of the creamery. The manager
went ON 20 explain that n creamery m
Kansas. Nebraska or Iowa depended
upon the bag cities for It's customers.
In small towns many of the people Keep
cows OF their own. but In the big cities
such ns Denver, Kansas CITY, OmAha,
ST. Louis. st. Paul. Minneapolis and
Chicago. where thousands Of laboring
men are gathered. the farmers find
their best customers not only for dairy
products but all the other food products
81 the farm. The families Of these la
boring men are extravagant eaters and
cxtravagnnt buyers Of farm products
when they have the money 20 buy with.
When the laboring men in these cities
are employed they consume vast quanti-
ties 81 butter. eggs. Hour, meal. beef and
poultry The thousands Of creamerics
In Kansas. Iowa and Nebraska had
morc orders for their product than they
could supply before the Democratic
panic stopped the industries in the cities
and threw the lnboring men out Of work.
In the last two years the demand for
food products have been less and less.
showing that the families of the labOring
men in the cities are growing more and
more economical in their consumption of
food. In long conversation with the
manager Of the creamery. these farmers
gathered the idea, a they had never
understood Il before. that the tood-pro-
ducinC farm u dependent upon the food
consuming city for It's market and that
the price 81 food and the demand for IL
depends upon the employment at good
wages Of the labOring people Of the
cities. This much the farmers had al
ready understood In general way. but
they had never stopped TO realize the far
more important truth. that the manage
ment Of these great laboring employing
industries dcvolvcS entirely upon the
trained business minds Of the heads OF
these industries whom the Popocratic or
at0rs now dcnounce as plutocrnts, and
enemies Of the common people IL u
very fine sport for eloquent ofice-Seek-
ing politicians 20 deuOuuce the men who
manage the labor industries. 90 call them
'plutocratS.- ~goldbugs." robbers" sop
pressors" and other offensive names. hut
after all these eloquent speeches have
A. a -
chIevous talk has had its effect