The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1910-05-26
AGAINST ALL COMBINES.

1t is represented TO The Tribune that
the farmers, taking advantage of the
advocacy by The Tribune of direct
trade between the farmers and the con-
sumers in this city, have themselves
formed combine and are holding the
prices of their products so high that
dealers are unable to pay them and
compete with the commission men in
other cities. it is said also that they
insist on concentrating, so that they
can keep the combine in compact form
and that they hold prices up until the
morning shipments have been made,
and sometimes even all day.
Now The Tribune's fight is against
combines of every kind. 1t is the com.
binations in trade and the monopolies
to control prices that The Tribune OBJ
jects TO. IT objects to these Just as
strongly when the farmers make them
as when the wholesalers or retailers do
so. We are against everything of that
kind. from whatever source it comes
And whenever the farmers undertake to
combine for the purpose of cxacting
extortionate figures, we are opposed TO
them, just as we are opposed TO that
sort of thing whenever undertaken by
anybody else.
The Tribune has urged the setting
apart of suitable places in the streets
where farmers could bring in their
loads-prefcrab diversified loads
to sell direct to the consumers,
so that there might be some sort of
safeguard against extortions and mo-
nopolies. The prices of foods are too
high in this city, Everybody admits
that. 1t is a well.known fact which
no one disputes This unduly high
price acts against the city, and in
many cases might we'll prove a bar to
n prospective settler locating here;
when. if prices were reasonable, he
would undoubtedly come. We have ad-
I.vocated the freedom of stated places
for the farmers 10 occupy and sell their
produce direct TO the consumer, pri.
marily in the interests of the inhabi-
tants Of this city, who need to have
here scale Of prices much below that
which now prevails. We have not ad-
vocated this so that the farmers
could put up Jobs or make combines;
quite the contrary 1t was for the pur-
pose of shutting off combines that we
have said what we have on this ques-
tion.
We may as well refer also TO cor
related question in this same conncc-
tion. That is the collecting Of farmers
in front of places Of business or resi-
dence TO the annoyance Of those who
live or do business on that frontage so
occupied by the farmers, Tho farmers
have no right TO intrude themselves up
on the street in front of any one s
residence or place Of business except
only for the purpose of delivering their
produce to those who buy from them,
The idea Of line of wagons occupying
the street in front of people whose
right il is to control their own front
age for their own interest and CON
venicnce. is wholly out of place There
are many localities in the city where
/ there are vacant lots, and where limit
! ed retail markets could be established
by the farmers for the purpose of deal.
ing with consumers direct. This would
correspond in way TO the general pub
lie free markets established in so many
Eastern and Southern cities. or course,
that would be retail trade. Tt would
have d tendency to break down mo-
nopolies, and each farmer would sell
dered or on demand. AS we have said
heretofore, this does not fit the case
Of such farmers as bring in complete