The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1909-02-09
THE TRUCKERS BILL
REJJFVED TO BE AN INJURY TO
THE TRUCKERS.
DR.. E'aisOn Saws the Pending Bill Os-
tensibly to Protect Will
Protect Buyers ana SOhcltOfs
Rather Than Growers Who Must
Suffer TherefrOm.

TO the Editor: The Truckers Bill,
now before the Legislature, ostensibly,
to protect the w OF eastern
North Carolina, reported faVOrably by
the Agricultural M Is M
longer a bill to protect growers but TO
license and protect buyers and So
licitOrs for commission houses on
Northern markets. who buy and so
licit berries and vegetables on the
local railroad platforms here n snip
to their commission houses North.
The bill! as now amended and re-
ported favorably is thus summed up
by your paragrapher Under the
Dome"
The Committee on Agriculture yes
terday f~avOrably reported the bill OF
the Eastern Truckers Association pro-
viding for inspection Of truck. Each
| buyer or solicitor Of truck is to q q
tax of $40, this to go to the treasury
Of the DEPARTMENT OF
| which is to eXpend not more than
$1,000 yearly to carry out n pur-
! poses OF the act. The directors OF he
association are to be appointed by the
Commissioner OF Agriculture and they
are to elect a secretary and treasurer
and to fix salaries subject to the APP
prOVal of the Commissioner Of Agri-
culture. The Board of Directors are
to appoint an inspector to report on
the condition OF vegetables and small
fruits from the trucking section and
l ~ l. tIlS ~ q ldil VI lSS
by the Cutting of the markets.
Such q SO license tax simply cuts
down the nmbe of buyers and So
licitorS heretofore free to buy at will.
thereby promoting more active COM
petition, which alone the
highest market prices to the
especially the smaller Small
growers who ship less than carload
lots daily (and their name is legiOn)
are now already virtually in the
IL IS -nt fh0cn- a % ,,Xar Oh.
fill cars for prompt shipment, and
this license tax, to be paid, of course,
by the growers, will only cut down
the umb Of competitors buying.
These licensed buyers can therefore
the more easily pool prices against
the W and force down the price
of their produce readily. Such combi-
nations to avoid competitive prices
have been quite common, particularly
in srnaller local markets. and this
license tax for buyers will simply
make them complete masters of the
local markets, as the growers. with
out such license to buy, will be un-
able to break uD such combinations
against them, and not having car lo'
shipments cannot ship on cOnSign-
ment. The buyers and solicitors will
gladly welcome such protective leg
islation to them. only regretting that
this license is not still higher in order
to be still more protective to them
SlIlCt 4 L I1ISl ne dll Ddlu DIV the grow
ers in the long run.
Buyers and solicitors will doubtless
be in Raleigh soon lobbying or this
Truckers Bill. which gives them 6
licensed monopoly or Trust, if yo,
please, of the local truck markets ir
Eastern North Carolina. Fully 81
per cent. Of tire truckers Of Duplir
county, n Of the largest truckin
counties Of the State. are opposed tt
any such legislation to break dowr
their local markets by putting tn.
prices into the hands Of licensed buy
ers by such legislation and they shall
expect Duplln county to be exempted
from h operation of such" unjus
law. aimed specially at their perish
able crops. 49,.
Why not put the buying and mar
keting Of cotton, corn. meat, potatoes
hay n all other farm products onl,
in h n Of licensed buyers VIII,
:. cQlld raadil1 oruauixo ana ao.aA;a