The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1912-04-20

'rrahk Station. Greene County. y. W
American Agricultural.
In our section we market quite lot
OF hay and straw which we have to
draw IL or IA miles to the railroads.
As IL now stands. we cannot ship a ton
or load Of hay or straw as We draw
IL to market. Somebody at the sta
ton has to take II in and load a car:
the farmer cannot put a load on the
car unless some man Is there to re-
cetve IL. II costs the farmer $4
ton To set that hay from Ravena to
New York and. IL you hire II carted,
about So n ton to cart IL IA miles.
making 81 to be expended before the
farmer has anything left for the
product
IL costs 25 cents a barrel to cart ap-
pies. The freight Is 27 cents to New
York. the truckage In New York city
10 cents n barrel. and the commits
sion 10 per cent. which. of course. IL
the apples sold for So. would be 80
cents barrel. That added to the
price OF the package. barrel 40
cents. makes s1.2s. which comes first
before the farmer can have anything
left. Some farmers who have large
orchards and can load a car are able
TO get slightly reduced rates on the
railroad. At Ravena the reduced
rates on cartiots would be 1-2 cents.
but all Of US cannot get those rates.
IL the commission man were requir-
ed To return tho name OF the goods
brought. the farmer could then cor
respond with this purchaser and find
out TO a certain extent whether the
commission man was giving true re-
turns OF not. The farmer would then
have a chance to communicate with
these purchasers. and 1t might cut out
the commission man entirely.
Several men In our community have
been beaten out OF goods. Under the
present laws man can tart COM
mission business I'm New York city
with no backing whatever. You ship
him some goods and you never get any
returns. You send a lawyer there 10
investigate and there has never been
a commission man there by that name.
have a neighbor who sent 10 bar
rels OF apples TO commission man on
Broadway. When ne received no re-
turn. he went 20 the city himself 10
ind that there never had been
commission man at that number.
He was out his 10 barrels Of
apples. think II would be right
and proper to make a commission
man give bond.
A man shipped a barrel Of apples
last fall to New York City. inserting a
statement that he received 75 cents
for the contents Of the barrel. and
asking the consumer to return to him
q statement OF what he gave for It.
About six weeks later he received
word that the consumer paid 81
Tor that barrel OF apples. That man
had to pay exorbitant taxes; he
trimmed. pruned and fertiiized his
trees. gathered the apples. bought his
barrels, and received only 10 cents.
whereas the consumer paid 81. I do
noe know how the railroad and mid
rleman divided UP that s3.25.
IL certainly costs the producer too
much to get his goods to the consum-
er. and we ought TO devise come means
by which this can be avoided. think.
too. there should be a law compelling
the farmer to pack apples In a differ
ont way than In done at present. There
should be law requiring the farmer
to put those apples up all the way
through the barrel. II Is time that
there was law requiring him to
stamp his name on the package also.
Then. believe. the apple business will
be fairly dealt with.