The Hartford herald. [volume] (Hartford, Ky.) 1875-1926, 1913-04-16
Who Gets the Money Paid
BY Consumers?
A WIDE DIFFERENCE IS SHOWN
Between Price Received By
Producer and Figures
of Final Sale.
WHO RECEIVES BIG PROFITS?

/ hONSrNafrS AO-Nos poiN NtANS
pound, or from s to IL cents a
head. for fresh cabbage. On South
Water street commission merchants
paid $3.50 to 50 crate; down in
the Rio Grande country. on the gulf
coast Of Texas. cabbage was rotting
on the farms.
The hunt for an answer to that
problem prompted farmers, truck
growers and agricultural growers
from 30 States and Canada to start
a three days inquiry here to-day.
( Cabbage is only one of the products
that is causing a shaking of heads.
AS Edward p. Kone, Commissioner
Of Agriculture OF Texas, said. some
/ body else is getting the money for
nearly everything that farmers
grow The meeting was called to
find out who gets the farmers prof
it's.
Officially the assembly is known
as the National Conference on Mar
keting and Farm Credits. II is the
first of its kind. II is independent
Of organizations and came into be-
ing because heads of farm oranges,
farm experts and growers, who had
invested millions in land in the ag-
gregate. saw their products going
to waste. while the cost Of living
vent up and the consumers paid
the bill
The railroads aren't getting the
money" said Kone. at least we
think not. The farmer isn't. The
consumer isn't getting the farm
goods chesply. He's hollering
about the high cost Of living. Where
does the money go? II to the mid
dleman, were after him."
Peter Radford, President of the
Texas Farmers Union. said that
farmers have long been FESTIVE un-
der present marketing conditions.
I'VE are going after the trouble
in an organized way" said Rad !
ford. I'VE want to know why we
only get 80 cents per bushel for
potatoes which sell for Is cents to
81 bushel here. That seems too
big a profit"
Other States besides Texas are in
revolt. Warren Durham Foster.
member OF the Massachusetts
Homestead Commission, told why
England is supporting the confer
ence.
Potatoes We raise on truck
farms in Cummington, Mass, are
rotting In the fields" said Mr.. Fos-
ter.
In Worthington, a town prac-
lically contiguous TO Cummington,
they sell for $3.50 a busheI. There
seems 70 be need for cooperation
between East and West"
Harry A. Wheeler, President of ,
ne Chamber of Commerce OF the {
United States. welcomed the con- ,
erence on behalf OF Chicago. Col 6
mel Frank p. Holland, permanent !
opened the session. G
Sidney r. Mezes. President of the Z
University Of Texas. was unable to
ttend and his address was read
or him. In 1t the educator said
70 per cent. OF the people OF Texas
i've on farms and that the State s
eads the Union in agricultural pro-
uction. !
While some progress has been
made In teaching the farmer how :
grow more crops" the paper c
eads. little has yet been done to D
Id him in getting fair prices for d
is produce. To illustrate the gross
lJustice OF our present marketing {
ystem may point out the fact
nat at Laredo. Texas, in our onion
rowing district, one day a short C
Inc ago, onions were sold for two II
ents a pound. The next morning
'aredo onions were sold In the y,
pen market at Austin, Texas, at Is r.
ents pound. In this transaction. n
5 you will see. the commission h
lan' the public carrier, and the re- N
all dealer divided $50 per cent. of g
ne price paid to the grower. :,
Again. tomatoes were sold one
ay at two-thirds cents each in Pal
slime. Texas, and the next morning n
ere sold at Austin at five cents e
ach. a.
In each OF the instances cited =
he producer received only 10 per .
snt OF the final selling price, while
7 per cent. was divided among the IL
iilroads and the sellers. l
The glazing injustice OF such a
stem is made more apparent by a
'mparison with the results of CO.
'ers'isn In marketing farm prod :