Omaha daily bee., 1910-12-08


Exports aud Imports.
Except for two years, 1S9S and 1901, the
highest balance Of trade In favor OF this
country In foreign trade in farm products
was 34SS,0 ,7g7 for 1913, a year which seems
to mark the eliminating point in the course
Of the balance OF foreign trade I'm farm
products In 1909 the balance declined to
1914. 90, l52, and In 1910 the decline continued
to SlsS,OeO, as II may be that in 1910 there
was not that national surplus OF agricul-
tural products to export which the country
/ had offered to other nations OF the earth
! In years preceding; but however. this may
be, It is a fact recognized In the exporting
trade that the prices OF farm products
/ I'm the fiscal year 1910 were high enough
/ to prevent that free export movement which
before existed"
The value Of the exports OF farm pro-
ducts after constant oscillation from the
easiest times increased to the enormous
amount Of SLO17 ass,4O4 in 1908, from which
there was q decline in 1909. for which
/ latter year the amount stands at SsJl lO7, O67,
a value which has been exceeded only in
the years 1901 and 1906 previous to 1907
! Cotton was the principal item of export
! in 1910. with a value of S4504E,24s, and
! packing house products followed, with q
value Of SlS5,959s73; third In order are
grain and grain products valued at NS3,-
! 800, as; after which are tobacco, $Ss lis, Sss;
! oil and oll-cake meal, S19251,Oi2 fruits
| s1s.5Oi,591; live animals, {1LAL7S5. Com
pared with 1909 there was decrease in all
OF the principal items except cotton, for
which the increase was about sS3 900;
fruits about S2,5OO,OOO, and tobacco about
100000.
Farm products as an element Of the
value Of domestic exports have had de-
creased ratio from about 50 per cent at the
middle Of the nineteenth century to SIS
per cent in 1900, 551 per cent in 1909, and
500 per cent in 1910
The imports Of agricultural products
have constantly increased in value through
out the history OF this country's inteIna-
tiona trade They constituted about % to
3Slh per cent Of the value of all imports at
the middle Of the nineteenth century, and
they increased to 10 per cent and over at
the end of that century, since which time
they have varied, but have not reached so
per cent subsequent to 1899. The fraction
for 1910 is AL per cent 10 the value Of all
imports.
/ In absolute instead Of relative value,
however. the imports OF agriculture pro-
ducts have constantly increased until they
reach the enormous total Of $751; 4S6, 1ss in
1910, an amount much above that of 1909
and still farther above the more prominent
amounts Of the preceding years.
The more prominent Items and groups Of
agricultural imports are packing house
products (mostly hides and slIins) sugar
and molasses, coffee, silk, wool vegetable
fibers, tobacco and fruits
Forest products TO the value OF Ss5,O54 500
were exported in the fiscal year 1910, an
amount exceeded only in 1909 and 1903 The
Imports OF these products consisted mostly
of india rubber, wood pulp, pulp wood, and
woods not grown in the United States; the
value of all imports of forest products in
1910 is $l79,6l0S $50 which is by far the high
est annual value Of imports.
Farmers Share of Prices.
High prices receive considerable atten-
ton in this report. In the farmers aspect
on the matter he receives various per-
, centages Of the consumers prices for farm
products. In the case of milk, in seventy
eight cities distributing throughout the
United states where the subject was in
} vestigated by the department, the farmer
t receives a scant 90 per cent or one-half OF
the price paid by the consumer The rail
roads get about per cent, so that the re-
naming 4S per cent Of the consumers price
is received mostly by the retailer.
The milk wagon Of the retailer has a
: long route. 1t stops at a house or two in
one city block, perhaps several blocks
without stopping. and so proceeds to serve
customers thinly distributed along a route
Of miles At the same time the milk wag-
ons Of other retailers are covering various
portions OF the same route, and so there
Is great waste OF effort and Of expense
in the distribution"
The farmer receives hardly more than
half OF the consumers price in the case OF
poultry; 59 per cent in the case Of eggs;
cabbage IS per cent when bought by the
head and IS per cent when bought by the
pound; celery 80 per cent when bought by
the bunch.
The apple grower receives Sc per cent
Of the consumers price when the purchase
Is by the bushel and 66 per cent when by
the barrel; the strawberry grower gets AZ
per cent of the consumers price in pur-
chases by the quart and rs per cent when
by the crate. When the consumer buys a
peck of onions at a time, the farmer re-
ceives 2S per cent Of the retail price; when
he buys a barrel the farmer receives IS
per cent. 50, in case OF oranges. when the
purchase Is by the dozen the grower re-
Ceives e per cent OF the consumers price.
; whereas when the purchase is by the box
the grower gets 50 per cent. The rule seems
! " bNt tAAo siAlallel AHe Itlhll aQuhntlty tn0
smaller the farmers share of the consum-
er's price.
In continuation OF this subject the secre-
tary Of agriculture suggests that the prob
lem 81 high prices Is one for treatment
! by the consumer. why do not consumefs
buy directly from the farmers?" he asks
"A distribution OF farm products in this
. simple way has already begun IN England
where cooperative organizations OF farm
ers are selling by direct consignment to
cooperative Organization OF consumers in
cities, Farmers cooperative selling asso-
Citations are numerous In this country, but
cooperative buying associations among tbs
people OF cities and towns are few. Aside
from buying associations maintained
by farmers hardly any exist in thl,
> country II is apparent, therefore. that tn,
= consumer has much to do to work out hii
own salvation with regard to the price,
that he pays. Potatoes were selling las
! spring I'm some places where there had beer
overproductlon for 20 cents and IN som,
: places FOR even cents per bushel at tn,
q farm, while al the same time city con
sumers in the east were paying 50 to z
! cents per bushel, although there was moth