Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1913-05-21
SHOW FARMERS HOW
BETTER METHODS OF MARKET
ING TO BE TAUGHT BY THE
GOVERNMENT.
NEW BUREAU is PROPOSED
Cooperative Selling by Farmers viii
Result in Great Benefits Not Only
to the Producer but to the Con-
sumner as Well.
BY GEORGE CLINTON.

Observation-Disclosures is now in the
agricultural department a new divi-
sion known as the rural organization
service" It's chief, T. N. Carver, who
has just been appointed, was until re-
Gently professor at Harvard un1ver-
sity. If Secretary of Agriculture
Houston has his way, Professor Car
yer probably will be made the chief
of another new bureau to be known as
the bureau of markets" There is al
ready bureau of markets organiza-
ton, but it is unofficial, and Mr.. Hous-
ton will ask congress to give definite
approval with a definite appropriation
for bureau of this kind.
Just what the new service will do In
detail has not yet been determined,
but it is well known that primary
duty will be to study the economics
Of the marketing of products 1t is
known that Secretary of Agriculture
Houston, with the complete sympathy
of President Wilson, will interest him
self particularly in an attempt to cut
down the cost of living by cutting out
inefficient and unbusinesslike methods
in marketing the products of the farm.
Dr. George K Holmes, who is the
statistician of the division of produc-
ton and distribution, has found out
that the consumer pays for his vege-
tables, fruit, poultry and dairy prod
ucts about twice as much as the farm
er receives for them.
What Farmer Should DO.
Dr. Holmes has said on this matter:
"a survey of the systems Of market
ing farm products clearly discovers
what the farmers can best do to their
advantage. They must associate them
selves together for the purpose of as
sembling their individual contributions
of products, to consider means of
shipping in carload lots, of obtaining
market news at places to which it is
practicable to send their products, to
sell in a considerable number of mar
kets if not in many markets, and to
secure the various other economic
gains of associative selling. But
farmers need some help in establish
ing associations. They always need
leader for such purposes, and there
may be no leader
"A division of markets could per-
form excellent service in helping farm
ers to help themselves to organize
marketing associations. These asso-
Citations could either handle their
products until sold in various markets
or could ship their products to non
cooperative marketing agency, which
would take charge of the entire bust
ness of distributing from central re-
ceiving point.
1T seems not always feasible to
market products comparatively, or, at
any rate, the producers are not always
disposed to do so. However, that may
be, there are many homeopathic
marketing agencies in this country
that are performing excellent service
for farmers, and some of them are do
Ing business of immense proportions.
A division Of markets, equipped with
a corps of competent field agents,
could get into touch with farmers for
the purpose Of promoting the organi-
cation of marketing associations
ance or information; the agent could
meet the assembled farmers and prac-
tically organize them if they desired.
1t can hardly be doubted that this
service can be successfully performed
and, eventually, with results greatly
beneficial to farmers. The travelling
field agents also could perform good
g. ix,i, INT off oir
of weak and unsuccessful marketing
associations and advise changes for
their improvement"
To Probe Civil Service.
1t is virtually settled that there
Is to be sweeping investiga-
ton of the civil service law under
which thousands upon thousands of
Americans hold their places OF
course there will be a feeling that
the investigation is prompted by the
desire of the dominant party to create
vacancies for party workers, but 1t
seems likely that any such investiga-
ton would affect comparatively few of
the holders of minor positions under
the civil service, and would strike only
u
strike nobody If an inquiry should
divulge that there is nothing wrong
with the system as it stands.
AS matters are 1t seems that nearly
everybody in congress. irrespective of
party, wants to see the civil service
law revised This Is plain because
every once in a while criticism is
heard of the civil service system from
the mouths of Democrats, Republicans
and Progressives, while debates are
on in either house. The civil service
commission always has insisted that
non-partisanship methods have been
adhered to absolutely in the giving of
appointments to men who apply under
the civil service law, and the prob
ability is, everybody says, that an
investigation will show this to be the
fact. The trouble, members say, with
kho oix-{l enrvri1o cue{ar, Dc