The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1911-12-29
BUYING OF THE FARMERS
BY No Means Eliminates the Middle
man

The Springfield Republican notes
of It's city what we have frequently al
firmed OF this city that so far as pri
ces go customers get little advantage
from trading with the farmers rather
than trading with the stores. The
newspaper says that many Spring
field people buy direct from produc-
ers who come to the city, "but the
prices asked are pretty faithful re-
Election of what the markets and the
gTocers are asking" While the far
mer does not have to pay city rent
he wants the market price for his
chickens, eggs and butter Natur-
ally 1t may be in his case that as
the Providence Journal explains the
phenomena of high prices of provis-
ions, "the chances are the familiar
factor of human greed has something
to do with It," We don't believe the
farmer would agree to that any more
than the grocery man would What
the farmer actually does, in the city,
evidently in Springfield, and presum-
ably in Providence, is to find out
the store price of whatever he has
to sell, and then try to get the same
or little more il possible. Often
the little more is possible because a
great many persons appear to have
more confidence in him than they
have in the store mana confidence
which some store men alleged is oc.
casiOnally misplaced.
However, that may be and assum.
ing the farmers honesty, it is en-,
tirely in accord. under the conditions
which exist in most New England cit
les, with natural and economic law
that he should sell his products at as
near to the prices ruling in the
shops as he can. He finds the prices
fixed for him by influences which
are far stronger than he is. In this
region of the country, the supple!
OF food furnished by the local farmer
are far short of meeting the com
munity demand. So far as he is
factor in fixing prices he is onll
subordinate and secondary, and oftei
II Is difficult to see that he is a fac
tor at all. II on account of suddel
influx from abroad OF any article
which he has TO sell the prices fluC
tuate, he must, perforce. follow tn
market So when the market Is M
his prices are up; and when the MAJ
ket is down, his prices are down. !
may be that In cities which are s
surrounded by productive farms tina
the local farmers can approximat
} supplying a community's needs, tn
farmers may have definite inf,
ence, on prices. But that is not tru
! In Massachusetts.
r Moreover. when the farmer Twin
eight or ten miles out of town hltcl
l es % his team. ana brings in n loa
; oil eggs and chickens and potatoes [
I vend through the streets or at N
= homes OF his customers he become
+ IN ADDITION to being n producer.
mluuleman and transportatio
5 agency that is. he performs Il
1 functions OF these institutions. G
{ that ground he Is entitled 10 cor
i pensation-iirst for raising the nro
3 uct; second, for carting It to u
e consumer; third. for his services
@ bringing producer and consumer I
o gether. IL Is only theory that n
Il mlddleman is eliminated when n
s farmer sells a dozen eggs from h
e poultry yard at the kitchen door.
Is mat case. the farmer himself enac
n the part OF middleman. even II Il
4. Impossible TO separate absolutely h
Is compensation for each OF the fur
1t tons which he undertakes. SO Il
g possibly not unreasonable that
4. should ask his customers the prlc
It which the store men are asking
New Bedford Standard.