The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1907-07-20

~ desirous of ascertaining spe-
cifc instances of dishonesty prac tised
by produce commission men of that
city upon farmers and orchardists.
Ii all such instances were reported to
the P.-I. it would require a good
many pages of that great paper for
tceir publication. The ISLANDER has
reported number of cases of rank
robbery on the part of some of the
commission pirates of Seattle and in
no case have the allegations been de-
MED. Very likely there are honest
men in the commission business in
Seattle, but if there are they are
handicapped considerably by the tel
onious practices of the dishonest ones.
A good many farmers and others
have been led to believe that produc-
ers are not permitted to sell their
produce from house to heuse in the
cities without paying the peddlers' IL
cense fee exacted by municipal ordi-
nances. This is an error. Ten years
ago, when there was fight on be-
tween the commission men and the
farmers and market gard eners near
Seattle law was passed which pro
vides as follows:
sit shall be lawful for any farmer,
gardener or other person, without license,
to sell, deliver or peddle any fruits, vege-
poultry, meats or any farm produce Or
edibles raised, caught, produced or man.
ufactured by such person in any place in
this state, each and every day, except
Sundays, and all city or town ordinances
in violation hereof are hereby declared
void, and no city or town shall pass or en-
force any ordinance requiring license
from the producers and manufacturers Of
farm produce and edibles as herein de-
fined; provided, that this act shall not
prohibit the sale or delivery Of dairy pro-
ducts on Sunday
Commenting on the law as above
quoted the Seattle Trade Register
says:
! 1.-THE farmers are thoroughly protected;
they cannot be shut out of the markets Of
the city of Seattle. The city does not have
the power to enforce or to pass any ordi-
dance excluding them. They have tee
advantage over all commission men. The
statute was passed for the very purpose
| of preventing any monopoly by any COM
mission men, and giving the produce Of
the farm, the dairy and the fisheries to
the citizens at the lowest possible COST"
While the law as quoted is a pro-
lection to farmers and market gard
eners residing within driving distance
of the cities, it is of no material help
to the many thousands of producers
who ship their produce to market by
rail or boat, depending upon the CON-
mission cormorants to market it for
them. So many authenticated in
stances of their rapacity and dis
honesty have, been brought to light
that it is little wonder that producers
of perishable products are endeavor-
ing to perfect some plan of organiza
ton whereby it will be possible for
them to protect themselves.
The Post -Intelligencer has evinced
a very great interest in the farming
industry OF the state. There can be
no question that its influence is earn
estly exerted in behalf of those whose
capital and labor is employed in agri-
cultural pursuits. IT prints many
roseate stories of success, which are
doubtless true, but its conclusions do
not always seem to US to be justified
by actual conditions, as, for instance,
when, in referring to recent article
in the ISLANDER stating that fine
farm of over four hundred acres in
this county is for sale, it says: IF
that farm was divided into ten dairy
o. aces, every family would probably
succeed in making comfortable homes
and creating bank accounts" The
ISLANDER doubts if there is q dozen
farms in this county of the size men,
toned that could be subdivided into
aten dairy places" from which the
owners could make q comfortable liv-