Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1911-02-07

Il
A subject of much interest, growing
out of recent milk agitstionS, is the at
titude of many producers toward the
middlemen, aud failure to realize tha,
there are legitimate expenses Of distri,
button aud transportation. Yet, 1t L.
the popular and common theory to criti-
else middlemen without discrimination
A quart of milk or pound of butter at
the farm in Maine has as much nutritive
value as On the consumers table in the
suburbs 81 Boston, but its commercial
value at the farm in Maine is almost
nothing until 10 the expense OF produc-
ton has been added the expense of
transportation and distribution. With
these three, the product at the consum-
er's door has a greatly enhanced COM
mercial value. And il seems to me that
a reasonable number of middlemen aud
of transportation companies are neces-
sary and entitled to be considered as
producers. There is much confusion of
thought where producer retalls his
own product II he is situated so favor
ably that he can distribute directly to
ket milk, for instance, does il not COS,
him something for his time or the time
of his hired man in delivering the milk
and for the wear and tear of team, the
shrinkage in bottling and the bookkeep-
ing? II the producer combines the func-
ton of retailer with that of producer,
the larger amount of money that he re-
ceiveS is properly for production and
also for distribution. That larger sum
may mean no more TO him as producer.
Ii he does not get enough more for the
product to pay the cost of distribution
and little profit on that, he would be
better of TO wholesale his product.
Not long since, read in a newspaper
an article urging butter producers in the
vicinity Of our large cities to retail their
product directly to consumers, the
article saying that "the producer could
get five cents pound more for his but
ter, and in many cases his wife could do
the work of delivering it," IL seems to
me that way of looking at the case is
entirely fallaciOus; if the wife delivers
the butter, an allowance should be made
for her time and for the use of the team
as sound business proposition, t is
entirely wrong to say that the farmer
gets five cents extra for his butter be-
cause his wife delivers it. | should like
to see consumer and producer brought
nearer together to reduce the expenses
of transportation and distribution. Ii
there is a profit in distribution, should
like to see the farmer get some of that,
as we'll as any profit there may be in pro-
duction But some one has got to dis
tribute the products that are manufac-
tured, whether on the farm or in the fac
tory. Distribution is attended with ex-
pense, and the expense is as legitimate
as any item of expense in production.
There may be too many middlemen and
they may get an undue share of what the
producer pays. Those things are evils
that should be treated specifically; but
the blind, indiscriminate abuse Of mid
dlemen does not appeal to me. In some
lines Of business, the middlemen become
skillful workers and are en-
titled to some credit, intermingled with
criticism. II is skill of no small ability
to collect from thousands of New Eng
land producers the dairy milk supply for
three quarters of million Of people, to
arrange for the sanitary transportation
of that product, To receive it in the city
on time every morning, including Sun
days and holidays, to distribute il clean,
pure, and safe to the three quarters of
a million consumers, every morning, to
collect the bills and make prompt and
regular payment to the producers. How
many would care TO undertake the job?
And is it not proper that skilled labor OF
this kind should have reasonable re-
turn? Suppose the farmers undertook to
do this comparatively land wish they
mighty, there would be the same skill
required in buying milk, in collecting it
at railroad stations, in running trains, in
caring for the milk on those trains, in
bottling, in arranging distribution sys-
tenn, in delivering it to the consumers,
in collecting the bills and making the
returns. And | imagine that when this
legitimate expense was footed up, 1t
might be found very near the present
cost of the same service. Ii there Ia
any profit in the distribution of milk,
should be very glad TO see the farmers
get il, in the shape of dividends on stock
in a cooperative company, but the ex'
pense of distribution is legitimate, is
and | imagine il would be
very nearly the same, whether il is done
by some one who is regarded as male
factor of great wealth" or by the pro-
iucer himself.-Geo. NJ. Whitaker.