The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1911-01-04
The Farmer Does not Get His Share.

played its part in the political cam
paign through which we nave lust
passed, and the unusually high prices
of farm products-to those who have
them to buy-have led a lot Of city
newspapers into painting the farmer
as man rolling in wealth and hold
ing the rest of the world at his mercy.
A very pretty picture, no doubt, but
one scarcely justified by facts.
1t is fortunately true that farmers
as a class are prosperous, but not un-
duly so; and it is unfortunately true
'hat great many Southern farmers,
oeause they have been buyers rather
IMAM sellers of nearly all farm pro-
ducts, have failed to derive any great
benefit from the high prices of those
things with which the farmer SUD-
plies the rest of the world. But Il IS
unfair to conclude that farmers in
general are getting rich at a too
rapid rate. The price Of what the
farmer has to buy, as we'll as of
what he has to sell, has increased.
and more than this, the increase in
the price Of farm products has not
all been going into the farmers
pocket-not by a great deal.
On this point there are some inter-
esting figures in the Annual Report
of the Secrtary Of Agriculture inst is-
sued June last an investigation was
made in 7S cities as to the difference
between the price receivd for mill,
ny the producer and that paid by the
consumer. In the cities investigated
In the North Central States. the pro-
ducers get just A per cent of what
the consumers pay; in the North At
lantic States, SO per cent; in the South
Atlantic States, 81 per cent: in the.
South Central States, 55 per cent. TAX
ing the country as a whole the pro-
duer gets about SO per cent of the
final market price, the railroads
about per cent, the retailers about
43 per cent
Investigations made some time ago
but which Secretary Wilson thinks
applicable today, because, as he saws.
1T seems probable that the farmer is
not now receiving a larger share of the
consumers price than he received ten
years ago, and he many be receiving
smaller" show that the farmer gets
55.1 per cent of what the consumer
pays for poultry, 50 per cent of what
he pays for eggs. 55.66 per cent Of
apples when sold by the bushel, 4s.s
per cent Of Strawberries. He fares
better with staple crops, getting 90
per cent Of the cotton money. 1919
per cent on wheat, 1875 per cent on.
oats. 81 per cent on cattle when
bought by packers, ss per cent on
hogs and so on.
1t will be seen at once that the
fewer hands product passes throuhg
on its way from producer to consum-
er, the larger the per cent Of the uIti-
mate price received by the producer.
One would, of course, expect this, as
also that the price to the consumer
should be higher when the article is
sold in small lots. For example.
when onions are sold by the barrel.
the consumer pays little less than
twice as much as the grower receives,
but when they are sold py the peck,
he pays over three times as much.
In either case there is too much
difference between the first price and
the last. The middleman and the
transportation companies are, OF
course. necessary and are certainly
entitled to fair pay for their work,
but we are yet to be convinced that
it is worth as much to distribute the
farmers milk to the consumers as it
is to produce the milk. We feel GER
tain that when the railroads and the
merchants get as much out of an ap-
PIC NiOP as OOSo lIlS iI1dH WHO CdEcO
for the orchard and picked the fruit
and harreled it and delivered it to the
station. that there is something wrong.
In short. there are too many middle
men and their profits are too large.
Here is a problem, to the solution
of with our wisest men may well give
their best thought. 1t is inconceivable
that such a wasteful and unjust sys-
tenn Of distribution should be per-
1t is one thing to recognize its evils
and another thing to cure them, We
have no panacea to offer for this
state Of affairs, but it SENS to us that
one remedy. in many individual cases,
OnOa SnpDacf Whpp