Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1911-12-13
BIG GRATING OF MIDDLEMEN
Farmer Could Increase Profits SO to
go Per Cent. by Selling Produce
Direct to Consumer.


Graft-pay for work not done or
service not performed, also anything
thus gained. "a soft thing" or easy
thing" "a snap."-Webster.
The above definition exactly fits the
middleman system. If the middleman
could be eliminated entirely, and the
farmer could sell all of his produce di'
rect to the consumer, his profits would
be increased from so to so per cent.
If the present method of distribution
could be changed to a rational sys'
tenn, farmers profits would be in.
creased from 25 to S5 per cent.
H. B. Fullerton, Long Island farm
er followed a shipment of potatoes
which he sold for 2S cents bushel,
at Medford, to PhiladelL aia, where
they were delivered by the retail gro
Ger to the consumer at s1.O5 per bush
ell. These potatoes passed through
the hands of Eve different commits.
sion men, only two of whom had a
dollar invested in the business. They
were all scalpers, passing the stun
along from one to the other. each man
scalping off the farmers profits as
much as he could, the total amounting
to loss OF so cents per bushel.
A Michigan farmer tells The Farm
World that be could not get rs cents
per bushel for potatoes at his farm
station, 100 miles froE- Chicago, but
on visiting a friend in the latter city
the next day, found he was paying 80
cents per bushel for potatoes which,
by the way, were shipped from sta
ton Is miles nearer Chicago than the
Michigan farmers home.
The consumer pays for beef about
SS per cent above the wholesale
price of the slaughtering houses.
This does not take into consideration
the profit made by the packer. which
is at least II per cent. more. Dairy
men everywhere receive only so to
60 per cent. of the retail price. Poul-
try returns to the farmers wife only
frol1 55 to SO per cent. of the price
paid by the consumer, and vegetables
and fruit net the farmer less than 80
per cent.
The farmer sells corn at 35 cents
per bushel in his home market. After
1t has run the gauntlet of commission
men 1t IL sold to the consumer in the
form of rhicken-feed at the rate Of
81 bushel.
On the other hand: A farmer buys
a suit of clothes for $40 which cost the
manufacturer 50. Coffee. which costs
the wholesaler IL cents pound is re-
tailed at from 25 to 80 cents. These
prices could be multiplied indefinitely.
but the samples given are sufi cient to
shew that the middleman catches the
farmer both going and coming. They
also prove that the farmer is not re-
ceiving an excessive price for his prod
ucts and the consumer Is paying high
er prices than he should.
The middleman is the product Of an
evil system of distribution which has
grown slowly but steadily until it is
now a grievous burden upon the farm
er and the consumer. In the large
cities the cost Of distribution of pro-
visions consumes a large part of the
expense which bridges the gap be-
tween the farmer and the consumer.
and much Of which is absolute waste.
The question is one of great eco
nomic importance, and will have to be
met as the farmers of Europe have
met it. Over there, farmers have
formed great organizations through
which they deal direct with the con-
sumer, thus adding vastly to their
profits. and reducing the cost to the
householder.
Organizations are being formed
slowly in this country. and as the sue.
cess of the plan of direct selling be-
comes more apparent, its scope will be
broadened and farmers may hope in
time to bring the products OF the farm
by short cuts nearer the consumer,
and obtain much higher percentage
of profit. while benefitting their GUS
toners in the same degree.-Fafm
World.