New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1910-12-15
THE COST OF LIVING
Parcels Post, Farming, City Life,
with One Mans Views Thereon.

Parcels Post, Farming, City Life,
with One Mans Views Thereon.
To the Editor OF The Tribune.
| Sir: The contribution from your Wash
ington Bureau in The Tribune Of December
| s entitled 'sMiddlemen Blamed for High
Prices" is an interesting addition to the
| many reasons given for the existing high
prices of farm produce I say interesting,
| but only SO as coming from Secretary Will
son, who, being chief of one Of the de-
parts OF the general government. shows
only one way, and that one very doubtful
expedient for the solution Of a grave situa-
ton. which well may cause any statesman
concern II he has any actual knowledge Of
the conditions which underly the problem.
At the beginning / wish to say that 1
have no axe to grind, as I am not only a
bondholder in many railways, but I am
also the owner of some five hundred acres
of land in high state of cultivation only
three hours by rail from New York. This
farm has produced the largest crops and
has taken the highest prizes at our local
fairs. Everything is managed upon a
strictly business basis, all supplies are pur-
chased in bulk and accurate and systematic
accounts are kept showing exactly where
everything goes to and what the profits are
from any particular crop, If any. say II
any, for despite the best OF help at moder-
ate prices this farm has never yet paid its
running expenses.
First-I pay for milk here in New FORK
9 cents quart whereas IL I sell 1t at the
farm I must deliver It at least three miles
away and receive only cents. Now. milk
st cents a uuart-and in summer it sells
es low as and even 2 cents a QUARTS a
very improbable product. and looking at 1t
as a purely milk proposition it is dead
loss. Moreover, in my case, as my herd is
composed entirely Of fine Jersey cattle, the
loss is far more serious. as the quantity Of
milk given by Jersey cattle is very nearly
in the inverse ratio to the percentage Of
butter fat. But my Jersey milk to the milk
dealer is simply milk, and that Is why
farmers or cow keepers who sell milk
keep cows giving a large quantity Of milk
but poor in butter fat
Second have a model chicken plant I
can produce some five thousand eggs every
day in the year. but If ship these eggs to
market / could not get at the present mo-
ment more than Sc to So cents, which by
market men would retail at IS cents. and
my express charges for the delivery Of
reduce my return.
Third have $500 feet Of mushroom
beds where I can and do raise the finest
mushrooms during any period of the year.
IF I ship these mushrooms to New York I
cannot get more than 40 cents a pound after
paying express charges, baskets and 10 per
cent commission on the sales, but II want
to buy mushrooms for my family 1 will
have to pay to-day s. cents a pound for
stale stock, which we would not think OF
using in our family.
The recent express strike In New York
has brought out many letters to the press
asking why we cannot have q real parcels
post instead Of the sham thing the post
Office is naasquerading, and yet, while I
faithfully read five daily newspapers, in
not one of them have / yet seen any
straightforward and earnest advocacy Of a
parcels post by any leader writer of the
New York press.
I think there are very few people In this
country aware of the immense facilities
provided by the British postof1lce by its
parcels post department. I lived in Eng
land for twenty years, and was the man
aging director of a large business sending
parcels to all parts Of the world. Fully
onehalf Of these parcels went by post with
absolute safety and speed and at very
low tariff. My own sirloin roast left
Kircady, north of the Scottish border, on
Friday night and was always delivered at
my house in London at 10 o'clock Satur
day morning for the small sum Of one Eng
fish shilling, which is "a cents Of our money.
Eggs, cream, fresh and smoked fish, butter,
cheese and multitude of things for house
hold use came in the same way promptly
oIna or1- TQxyf aiS
holder was brought into direct contact with
the producer. and it hardly needs any great
acumen TO realize what a boom it was to
both producer and consumer, for, to say
nothing of the cheapness Of carriage, our
supplies were of a freshness and cleanli-
ness absolutely unknown in this country.
Mr. Wilson is perfectly right: the farmer
does not get these enormous prices. He is
a very patient hardworking and useful
member of society," but, if he can give his
children a common school education and die
without a mortgage on his farm he is more
fortunate than the average.
I cannot agree with Mr.. Wilson's sug-
gestion of cooperative stores as a panacea
for high prices, as l have carefully investi-
gated the entire matter. The trouble Is not
entirely the fault of the retail dealer, as
any one will see who will investigate the
rents paid in New York for stores. And,
SO far as cooperative stores in England
are concerned they are to my personal
knowledge cooperative only In name and
have never returned any adequate divi-
dends to the stockholders commensurate
with the investment and the risk involved.
while the prices charged by these stores
are never less and often very much more
than the same article can be purchased for
elsewhere.
In England the parcels post has solved
the entire difficulty, and millions Of fami-
lies get by far the larger proportion Of their
farm produce direct from the producer.
Methinks I hear a growl from Washing
ton way, non possumus. We have all be-
come accustomed to it, but I doubt If any
intelligent American business man is will
ing to admit that a system which has be-
come in Great Britain a household neces-
sity cannot be as effective here in the
United States, and some day, notwithstand-
ing the express lobby and all the politicians
with their ears to the ground. the public,
long suffering and disguised. will demand
a real, practical and businesslike parcels
post. WILLIAM HALL WALAhEf.
New York, Dec. 10, 1910.
GIRL FIGHTS DEPORTATION