The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1911-12-10
Eeean by Selling Potatoes at Cost to
the People Of Indianapolis
Who Bought
Freely
OUTLINES HIS IDEAS
Msyor Shank Believes That Cities
s. Should Take Hand In Fur
rishins Food to the
Citizens. I

limited Press Leased Wire 5ervice.1 |
INDIANAPOLIS, Dec. 9.-Elimina-
| ton of unnecessary links in the costly
network Of selling agencies is the chief /
! step needed to solve the high cost OF |
living problem in the opinion Of May
or Shank, Of this city, who has gain
ed national reputation as result Of |
| his sales of potatoes at cost here in
an effort to expose the alleged exorb- !
liant prices charged by commission
dealers.
Add to the abolition of unnecessary
steps in the selling process, the crea-
ton of the position of municipal pur-
chasing agent and the cultivation of
vacant city lots, and the price problem
flor food, which Mayor Shank believes
is likely to become national polit-
Eical issue, will approach solution,
Iargues his honor
i Illustrating his statement that there
Iare now too many links in the selling
IPiONCSct Nids Ut oAonh OuttlHCu "
the United Press today his experience
in selling potatoes.
The state of Michigan great
potato producing territory-is com
J paratively short distance from In
. dianapolis, he said. yet my exper-
, fence in trying to relieve the living
cost pressure here by selling pota-
! toes at cost showed that, in the usual
] process of selling potatoes, there are
i lat least FIVE different proflts-all of
which are borne by the ultimate con-
sumner. First, there is the growers
profit. Then !, ascertained that there
| are men who make business of get
E ting an option on the producers crop.
e Coming next are the representatives
. of the nearby commission houses who
E are paid by the latter for obtaining
E their supplies. These representatives
deal, not with the producer direct, but
S with the men who have secured the
S option on the growers crop. After the
: foodstuff is in the hands of the first
l. commission men in other cities These
5 in turn, sell the product in smaller
quantities to the retailers, who hand
lit on down to the ultimate consumer
Everycne of these steps means ar
/ addition to the cost of the product
: and it all is borne by the consumer
!. This method also applies to other foot
p supplies.
: Il believe every tradesi1ian is en-
4 titled to fair profit on whatever HI
!, sells. But / also believe that Their,
- is an unnecessary multiplication o
= middlemen In this, according to m.
!. Judgment. lies the crux of the cost o
a living problem.
~ Another big factor in the problem
lies in the attitude of the cold storag
and commission dealers The law O
supply and demand, it seems, no long
er controls the price of food CON
= modities. This, at least in man
= !. American municipalities, is now large
:. ly the perogative of the commission
:. dealers Notwithstanding, there hav
- been no heavy crop failures in recen
- years, food products have been stead
- lily advancing in price.
.sThis fall the people of Indianapoli
and l am glad that the same wa
true In other cities in a greater r,
spect-paid as high as one dollar
Of bushel for applaP. At the same tim
~ y. fruit was rotting on the ground
: orchards within few miles Of tt
y. city This puzzled me at first but a
u investigation soon revealed the caus
!. 10 Growers told me that they We're III
D able to get enough for the fruit to pa
= the cost of packing and shippin
=. Commission men told me that II
- market was glutted 1t was Co
- storage houses contained Thousand
10 Of bushels. Only limited supply WI
:, allowed to reach the consumer Henc
-, the high prices"
IN As a cure for this condition Il
Re. mayor suggests legislation by mum,
M Qualities which will result in more pr
he ducers bringing their products dire
nj. Ito the market places of cities Und
ire present conditions, he asserts, Il
nm. commission men and the middle m,
conspire in various ways--by tempo
airy underseling. by offering to b,
:. the producers product which he is j
tna failing for practically the same pri
or he is getting and thus relieve him
,e,r the trouble of retailing and 9th
vas sundry methodist force the grow
ose from the market. A lowering of
I'm cense fees to the producer and ra
so ing of this charge to the middlems
be. together with rigid censorship, 81
OF gests itself to the mayor as o
den means that might result in better &C
ms ditions.
al. Above all he holds cities shor
oks create the position of municipal pl
ap chasing agent. His duties would
sun
liter