Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1910-08-11
wide VARIANCE NOTED In FRUITS
and Vegetables.
Seattle Public Market Reduces the
Cost of Living; Schedules FuliV
100 Per Cent. Higher on the Har.
Dor. The Middle Men Are Given
the Blame.

! Declaring that the cost of living
is much greater on the Harbor than in
Seattle. and laying the blame largely
with the commission men, w. O. Me-
Cav, who returned Monday night
with his family from a two weeks
stay on Vashon island, is of the
opinion that some measures are
necessary to regulate or supervise
the business of the commission men
or middle dealers as is done in
some other lines of business.
According to Mr.. McCaw, the aver.
age cost of living, which includes
meat. vegetables and fruit, trules
fully one-half lower in Seattle than
on the Harbor A few instances will
suffice to prove the truth of his posi-
tion. He says that first-quality toma-
toes may be purchased in the public
market in Seattle at cents pound
while the ruling price On the Harbor
is near 20 cents. Peaches, the
finest quality in the market, are sold
in the public market and also at
grocery stores at 20 cents basket
while here they are quoted at 25
cents dozen, or at least that price
was paid on Tuesday. Fresh eggs
were purchased last week, in the
open retail market, at 20 cents a
dozen in Seattle but last Tuesday, it
required 45 cents of your Uncle
Sanuels coin to purchase a dozen
of them in Aberdeen
Meat Lower, Too.
A great difference is also noted in
the price of meats. although it IS
not so marked as in vegetables and
fruits. First class boiling beef is
sold in Seattle at from 8 to 8 cents
a pound while the lowest quotations
found here are about IA and Is cents.
The same relative difference is noted
in other cuts.
Just why this great difference
should exist in the price of commo-
dities between Seattle and Aberdeen
it does exist as anyone who will take
the trouble to investigate may easily
determine. Mr.. McCaw lays the
blame largely with the commission
men. He cites one instance to prove
his contention.
"A rancher living on Vashon is
land, who raises large quantity Of
tomatoes for the Seattle market"
said Mr. McCraw. told me that he
formerly shipped his entire crop 20
Seattle commission firms but never
realized more than and 5 cents a
pound. He ascertained that, while
the price he received for his crop
was low, the consumer was paying
20 cents a pound for it, and this ma
turally led to an investigation which
disclosed the fact that the commits
sion men were raking off a profit of
from 10 to ~ cents on every pound
of tomatoes handled. This caused
the rancher to change his tactics and
he afterward shipped his crop 10
Seattle and sold them direct to the
retailer which added the middleman's
profit to the price he already re-
ceived. The same methods were
adopted with the fruit and vegetable
crop"
1t is stated that, although the com
mission men have eXerted them
selves to control the market, they
have been entirely unsuccessful, so
far as the ranchers and truck garde-
ners in the vicinity of Seattle are
concerned, and now practically all
of the vegetables and fruit raised
there is sold direct to the consumer
through the medium of the public
market According to the belief of
many people the public market for
Aberdeen offers the only practical
solution of the problem of the "high
cost of living on the Harbor.