Dakota farmers' leader. (Canton, S.D.) 1890-19??, 1905-12-29

lar west country al least, tIle ldIIIlelS
who find themselves under pressure
to submit to it are those who are
not provided with adequate cold
storage for their milk and butter.
P%aradoxical as the two propositions
may seem, that a charge Of two cents
a pound on butter fat for the collect
ing of cream is too high, and that
the cream collector cannot make a
living wage at the business, yet 1t Is
so, and we may note that the cream
collecting business is dropping into
the hands of old retired farmers.
Those men, as their retirement from
active business would suggest. have
provided for their living In some
way satisfactory to themselves and
may indulge in the occupation not
mainly for the pay that is in it but
rather as a means OF suitable exercise
so long as they can cover expenses.
But going back to the rural post
wagon engaging in a parcel carrying
business at the rate OF two cents and
over per ponnd, we will find the prop
osition impossible. Take apples, for
instance, selling in the local market
at one dollar per bushel Of sixty
pounds. carrying charges from farm
to town at Two cents n pound equal
81. 20. The orchard mar would find
himself in a condition for disburse-
>, 4t,t of fUvonty onVfC 1nSl far fha
privilege of getting rid Of a bushel OF
his apple crop.
This is on a par with the case OF a
young man who carried a calf's hide
to town to sell. Encountering a town
sharper on the street on a look for
business. who said: "Hello friend,
how much do you want for that
hide?' 'Fifty cents every we'll,
spread 1t out, let's look at it; will
give you fifty cents for the hide and
we will discount ten cents for each
hole in it." Examining the hide
he counted two holes for ears, two
holes for eyes, and two accidental
holes making sixty cents. All right
says the sharpe, 81 will take the hide.
Now sonny, next time you come to
to Hn you can bring me the ten cents
Will business going out Of town be
more favorable? We will take a case
OF delivery in common groceries,
sugar for instance. The going retail
price in town for sugar may be five
dollars for a sack of 100 pounds.
Send it out to the consumer by the
rural post-wagon at a carrying charge
of two cents per pound the cost to
the consumer will be eve dollars.
You may bet your best button that
the average farmer will sit down to
his table without sugar for a whole
week till he can get a chance to go
to town on business and bring his
sugar home with him rather than
pay that extra price. His business
will not stand such extravaganza, he
must of necessity learn to economic
his expenses to figures lower than
that. The man who cannot dc It
will find himself run out of the farm
ing business before many moons roll
around.
Though this exhibit is fully war
ranted by some features about n
bill, a close scrutiny may admit OF a
different conclusion. Yet it Is poor
grace trying to make the farmer q
scapegoat for all sins. II congress
wants t0fnd the big hole for a postal
deficiency of long standing it should
look elsewhere and it knows perfectly
well where to look. The something
like $1,000 rural post wagons do not
make the whole of the hole.
1t may also be possible to place a
parcels carrying business in connec-
ton with the rural post wagon on
practicable rates. II, as u inform
ant states, the discrepancy amounts
to about a dollar a day per wagon 1T
seems as though it would not require
a very extensive business to cover
this. though it must be born in mind
that an extended carrying capacity
will entail increased expenses per
trip.
would be, as also suggested, for con-
gress to appropriate about 100000
for a trial with two or four morse
teams or with automobiles IN d1Her-
ent chosen localities OF the country;
And this would again raise the
question OF better roads. ]. r. II.