The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1901-07-25
The Farmers Position.

speak. He has worked hard and faith
fully for solid year, and now, even with
an abundant harvest and fair prices for
the product of his labor, how much will
he really make" for his years work?
How much will he have left after he has
"divided up" with those who have been
"laying for him" till his crops are placed
on the market? What, with trent" to
pay if he is tenant upon the land he
farms, or perhaps large interest" ac-
count to meet on the purchase price of
/ "his" place, or the "profits" he must
pay to the manufacturers of and dealers
in the machinery and implements he
must have with which to perfect his
crops, and then the transportation
charges for carrying his produce to the
city, and last, but by no means least, in
fact usually the largest item Of expense,
the commission" OF those who "handle"
his crops on the market, in the payment
Of which he has not only to ''divide up
with the commission merchant the pro-
ceeds of the sale, but frequently is
obliged to contribute whole shipment.
What, we ask, will the average farmer
have left after all OF these have whack
at him and get a "divy" out of his crops?
1t is safe to say he will not be able to
keep enough OF the proceeds OF his crop
to take trip to Europe or even to the
an-American exposition. Yet how diff
ierent the farmers condition would be if
the social conditions were right.
Let us consider just one Of the items
mentioned above that OF transportation.
The farmer brings to town shipment of
fruit for the Sound market; he finds he
must pay from fifteen TO thirty-fve cents
per box for express charges to have his
fruit carried distance of less than 200
miles, by which process OF dividing up
the railroad company, getting the first
''divy," makes more clear money from a
single box of the farmers fruit in six or
eight hours without lick OF work, than
the farmer does in as many months hard
work, after waiting one to three years
for his trees to grow. Now, in New Zea-
land where the government (the people,
owns the railroads as they own the post
office in this country, things are differ
ent. AS an instance, the fruit growers
in Hawkeye's Bay and New Plymouth
are long way from market, Wellington
being the nearest town. To enable them
to get their fruit to market the state
railways carry it 800 miles at the rate of
twelve cents for 65 pounds by passenger
train. For large quantities even lower
rates are quoted. All empty boxes and
baskets are returned to owners free of
charge.
In many parts of the country, it being
thinly settled, the roads do not as yet
pay operating expenses; but. they have
been built to encourage settlement and
development of the interior of the island
You don't often catch the privately
owned roads of America doing the ac-
commodation act in that way. Here
they wait, and make the pioneer strug-
gle along until the new country is so far
developed that new line will begin to
"pay" as soon as it is in operation and
they will elevate transportation charges
until it does pay. To build and equip
the New Zealand roads cost about 500 900
per mile; yet the net surplus revenue
over the expenses of operating is equal
to 3 Is per cent on the capital cost. As
10 passenger rates, you can ride 30 miles
for 10 cents, and first-class service is
rendered the people in all departments.
The proceeds go to the public treasury,
and to building extentions and improv-
ing the present system. Now wouldn't
it be horrible for the people of this coun-
try to want to own all the railroads and
have them operated in the interests OF
the people? That would be interfering
with private business, you know, and
would SAVIOR Of socialism, which, the Or
egonian says, would just naturally ruin
the nation, and OF course the Oregonian
knows, for it is paid to know. But
"there'll come time"