The Twin Falls times. [volume] (Twin Falls, Idaho) 1905-1916, 1910-06-16
how PROFITS ARE DIVIDED.
Farmers Get IS, Carriers and Mid
dlemen 50 Per Cent.


At the recent convention OF the
Farmers Union in st. Louis chart
was displayed prominently on the
stage showing the division Of profits
in a five-cent loaf OF bread.
According to this chart the wheat
grower receives one and one-half
cents out of each nickel, the baker re-
ceives two cents and the retail dealer
one cent. In other words, the baker
and the dealer receive exactly twice
as much rs the man who owns the
land and does ell the work OF raising
and marketing he wheat.
This distribution OF the profits,
showing the benefit to be on the side
of the city. dealer, formed he theme
Of an interesting address to the Union
by b. F. Yoakum, chairman OF the
Fresco railroad system.
| Mr.. Yoalrum argued that excessive
profit-taking by middlemen Is the rea-
son for the high price of foOdstuffs.
He declared that the heavy reduc-
ton In freight rates of the last few
years has been absorbed by the city
dealers and has not been shared in by
the farmers or consumers.
1T Is not prices received by farm
ers which make living expenses high,
but the profits of the dealers handling
the foods between the farmer and the
consumer declared Mr.. Yoakum, and
then filed bill of detail as follows:
The Florida farmer receives $3.50
for a bushel of green beans, the rail-
road gets fifty cents for the 800-mile
haul to New York and the consumer
pays $6.4O for this same bushel of
/ beans. There Is 35 per cent for the
i grower, per cent TO the carrier and
/ 81 per cent for the dealer. This is
not fair division. Thirty cents a
dozen was the average price OF eggs
i in New York last year, while the, farm
ers of Arkansas and Missouri received
4 fifteen cents. The freight was two
cents dozen. The men who receive
the eggs at a freight station in New
York and deliver them to the consum-
er takes thirteen cents a dozen profit
The rice farmer of Texas, Louisiana
and Arkansas gets two and one-hal1
cents pound for the grain, and the
consumer in New York pays 10 cents 6
pound for this rice. The freight is
! one and one-half cents a pound. Il
the rice farmer were paid three ant
| one-half cents Zone cent more than nj
is now getting), and the dealer tool
; one cent profit (Which is % per cent?
; the New York consumer would ge
twenty pounds of rice for 81, instead
of ten pounds, as now"
i Mr. Yoakum advocated organization
of the farmers as the surest and mos
logical way of remedying the existing
| affairs, He also pleaded for govern
f ment reclamation of waste lands Il
e the south, stating that an eXpenditur
; of $1,500000 year for twelve year
s would make available enough lands l.
D the Mississippi valley to provide SO
acre farms for $4,000 families. Thi
S vast number of families removed fror
g the city and placed on the land, wher
r they would be self-sustaining an
b would assist in producing foodstuff
for the others, would largely mitigat
the conditions which now exist. M
Il Yoakum pledged the assistance an
: cooperation of the railroads.
This matter of the middleman's pre-
! fits is coming more and more genera
" ly to be assigned as one of the fir!
II causes of the present high cost of 1i'
III ing.
II It is highly probable that evidene
II taken along these lines before the e.
Il aiming congressional commissio
ii will relieve the farmer of the respol
H sibility and place it squarely on Il
II shoulders of the middleman and reta
II dealer.-Nampa Record.