The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1896-10-23
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 arm Products.

A stOck-feeder of Kansas. recently in
Kansas City, tells story that Is worth
repeating for the excellent lesson which
1t teaches. In Il certain town was il
creamery. 1t gathered the cream from
the farms within 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 a number of farmers
who desired to sell cream. but were not
able to 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 to
consult the manager with reference to
the enlargement of it's business so as to
include them and their neighbors. They
explained to the manager that by send
ing his teams Il few miles farther in
all directions he would double the guam
'ity 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 favOrab bly,
received. There had been great deal
of gossip among the farmer patrons of
the creamery that the price paid for
cream was too low and that the profits
of the concern were larger than they
ought to be, and now these farmers
could hot understand why a business
which was making exOrbitant profits
should not be willing to enlarge itself, to
double its output and consequently to
double its profits.
The manager explained that to enlarge
the circle of their farmer patrons would
require an additional number of men
nd to fh0
require additional machinery and an en-
larged plant with more buttermakers
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 laboring men |
in the cities being out of employment |
We're not eating butter. but were buying !
and other cheap imita-
tiOns of butter. and because of all these |
circumstances he was unable I
to consider a proposition to enlarge the /
business of the creamery. The manager
went on to explain that creamery in
Kansas, Nebraska or Iowa depended
upon the big cities for its customers.
In small towns many of the people keep
cows of their own. but in the big cities
such as 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
IF the farm. The families of these la
boring men are extravagant eaters and
buyers of farm products
when they have the money to buy with.
When the labOring men in these cities
ire employed they consume vast quant-
lies of butter. eggs. -four. meal. beef and
poultry. The thousands of creameries
n Kansas. Iowa and Nebraska had
more orders for their product than they
.ould supply before the Democratic
)anic stopped the industries in the cities
Ind threw the labOring men out of work
n the last two years the demand for |
God products have been less and less.
showing that the families of the aboring
men in the cities are growing more and
more economical in their consumption of
God. In long conversation with the
nanag ger of the creamery. these farmers
,athered the idea, as they had never
Understood it before. that the food-pro-
ucing farm is dependent upon the food
onsuming city for its market and that
he price of food and the demand for it
epends upon the employment at good
RACES of the laboring people of the
ities This much the farmers had al
eady understood in general way. but
hey had never stopped to realize the far
lore important truth. that the manage
lent of these great laboring employing
Industries devolves entirely upon the
rained business minds of the heads of I
nese industries whom the Popocratic or e
tors now denounce as plutocrats, and
nemies of the common people. It is e
cry fine sport for eloquent ofice-seek- '
lg pol)ticians to denounce the men who Z
lanage the labor industries, to call them t
plutocrats." .'goldbugs." robbers" Top d
ressors' and other offensive names. but
fter all these eloquent speeches have o
cen delivered and after all this mis- 8
iievous talk has had its effect