The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1913-07-03
The Grange and the
Farmers Problems
DOES THE FARMER PAY THE
FREIGHT?
By II. L. Loucks

The cost Of transportation is the
principal item in marketing the farm
ers' products. The average farmer
may not know that he pays the freight
but | am very cure that neither he mol
the average business man fully real
ICES that he does, or just what II
means, or they never would have per
mitted a private monopoly of trans
portation. When the farmer takes his
wheat to the elevator he asks the
question, what are you paying? That
Is all there Is to it. The buyer does
not take time to explain to him; the
price is SO much in Liverpool, and the
cost of transportation and handling
there Is SO much, so all We "a pay is
SO much. He simply states the price
he can pay.
There are others thoughtless enough
to assert that the consumer pays all
the costs of transportation. That is
true We think of all other products. To
make this perfectly plain, so that
there can be no possible misunder.
standing We are going to quote the
Crop Reporter for January, 1913, the
farm values of a sea port state and
compare with the farm values of South
Dakota. The difference in price will
| rnnrnconf tho pnCt Of ohttipr 70 m nrn-
duce within hailing distance of the
Atlantic coast, then add cost of get,
ting it to the sea port, and the ocean
freight, and you will come pretty near
having the cost of sending to the
Worlds market Liverpool.
Maine appears to be quoted on more
of our farm products, than any Of the
other states so we select Maine for
the comparison.
Wheat, Maine, December LIST, 1872
$1.03 per bushel; South Dakota 60
34c less.
Corn, Maine, December 1st, 1872
Us per bushel; South Dakota 81
CSC less.
Oats, Maine, December 1st, 1872
81 per bushel; South Dakota .25-26c
less.
Barley, Maine, December LIST, 1872
II per bushel; South Dakota .42-35c
less.
This will give us a very fair idea OF
the cost of transporting wheat to
Liverpool. The cost from the Maine
farm to Portland would be more than
five cents per bushel but call it five, to
this add the ocean freight (same as
New York; of 1913 cents per bushel
and it makes a fraction under soc.
The elevator and dock charges will
make it well over the SOC mark. But
call it fifty cents a bushel.
What is true of wheat is true Of all
other farm products of which We pro.
duce a surplus for export-the farmer
pays the freight.
When we consider that, that ten per
cent for export fixes the price of the
80 per cent consumed at home, and
that from the worlds price, so cents
per bushel is deducted for the 80 pei
cent consumed at home, where only a
part of that expense has been incurred
it should interest not only the farmer
whether owner or tenant, the landlord
the value of whose land is affected di
rectly by any increase of transporta
ton charges, but every business mar
with whom the farmer trades, is de
prived of just that much trade. The
The merchant may imagine that it is
the bumper crop that means big bust
ness for him, but I wish to recall his
attention to the tables already given
1t is not the size OF the crop, o ye'
the gross receipts, but the net profits
that make the good customer.
How about the landlord, or the lanG
speculator, who is holding his land fol
a higher prize?
What makes land of equal fertility
and improvements in Iowa, Illinois and
states farther east sell for so much
more than in South Dakota?
Cost Of transportation to the worlds
markets must be the answer.
Then it follows, as night follows the
day, that just in proportion as trans
portation charges on farm products in
crease, the price to the farmer de
creases, the increase in land value Is
checked, and the merchant has JUS
that much less of the farmers trade.
In the last two years that increase
in cost of transportation has beer
almost eight cents per bushel not one
dollar of which remained in South Da
kota to benefit any one except the
transportation companies.
Notice Of another increase of 8
cents per 100 has been served on the
ii. C. G. which in due time will add
another 2 cents per bushel.
Notice has also been given of an In
$500 - z un~ O.u< nv 49, 1s~~~ -~.