Deming graphic. (Deming, N.M.) 1903-1948, 1913-01-10
AUSE Of HIGH
Il COST Of LIVING
3ecretary of Agriculture Says
Too Many Handle Farm
Products
coLLEcrVE AGENCIES 500 TONS A MONTH
soduce Sometimes Handled
by Five Middlemen. it is
Asserted

Asserted
The report of the secretary Of
griculture treats of farm products
tom the farm to consumer through
great variety Of channels. The
Implest distribution Is the direct de-
|lvery by farmer to consumer, and
next after this is the delivery by
Individual farmers or associations Of
farmers to individual consumers or
associations of consumers. In these
direct forms of distribution the mid
dleman is eliminated, although Of
course intermediate services are per-
formed either by producers or con-
sumers, or by both parties.
INTERVENTION OF MIDDLEMEN
The, country merchant is often the
FIRST receiver of such products as
eggs. farm.made butter, poultry,
wool, hides, cotton. and sometimes
grain and hay. In regions where
grain is the staple product the ten.
dency has been to displace the coun-
try merchant by the grain buyer
md the local elevator man.
Farmers commonly sell through
commission merchants and to some
extent directly to wholesale dealers.
and also to retail dealers. The far
mer who employs a trustworthy
commission merchant who will han.
ale his products honestly and honor
ably will get the current prices for
them within the range Of the COM
mission merchants business. but the
farmer often finds himself in the
hands Of a commission merchant
who falsely reports that the prod.
ucts were received In damaged con.
dition or that they were of grade
lower than they were In fact. or he
reports receiving prices lower than
those actually received by him for
the products. Worse than this. 1t
! is by no means rare that the com.
mission merchant has sold the prod.
uc,s and failed to return the net
proceeds.
Samples of transactions In which
only one middleman intervenes be.
tween producer and consumer in.
clude the commission man at large
market who receives consignments
of live stock from farmers and sells
to packers; the factor to whom the
planter consigns his rice or cottor
and from whom purchases are made
BY millers; the warehousemen mer
who manage the sale Of a Virgins
planters tobacco.
The Intervention Of two men be-
tween producer and consumer is
common occurrence. Fruits and veg
etables are often marketed through
the aid of two middlemen; the cit,
commission dealer and the retail
merchant.
MORE THAN TWO INTERMEDIATES
A series of three middlemen ma!
include first the local buyer Of tn
shipper; second, the commission deal
er or the wholesale dealer or tn
wholesale merchant: and third, tn
retail merchant. In the sale OF frui
by auction, which is common in larg
cities east of the Mississippi river
the auctioneer Is an additional mid
dleman. He may sell for q commits
sion dealer, to whom the consign
ment may have been made by
country buyer; and the purchase
at such an auction may be jobbel
who in turn sells to retail mel
chant. Five middlemen are thu
concerned in such q transaction.
Onions raised in Kentucky ar
sometimes bought by local mel
chant and shipped to Louisville; her
they may be put in sacks and cor
signed to a New York wholesale o