Evening journal., 1913-08-22
STATE PROBE
ON HIGH COST
OF PRODUCE
Jenkins Wants TO Know Who
Gets $il,7sO,OOO Profit
on Potatoes
BELIEVE RAILROADS
GET LIONS SHARE


DOVER. Del. Aug. y. e. W. Jen-
kins who was present at the recent
meeting oi the State Board OF Agricul'
turr here. has begun an investigation ON
behalf of the farmers 10 discover where
an the money goes that the consumers
of the city are continuing Go pay ont
for the necessities of life meats, po.
tatocs vegetables and fruits
he has found that New York city
and its cnYirons alone consumed dur
ing he fiscal vcar recently ended 100.
100000 pounds OF potatoes Tor which
the New Workers paid , cents a pound
The producers of potatoes in Della
ware, Maryland and Nirginia. par
ticularlv the latter State, furnished
Just 20 per cent of those 750.000.0e0
pounds. aud yet thoy received only
i-2 cent a pound for their work IN
bringing forth the potatoes from the
land What became OF that Sil $50,
eco difference ON the potatoes pro-
duccd horo? Is the question that Mr.
Jenkins has set out to have answer
cd. He has alroady written and travel
Cd extensively in his investigation
OF course the "middleman" will be
charged with this uneven division.
But Mr. jenkins is not going TO let II
80 az that He proposes 10 get at
the bottom Of the matter If possible
and if not TO publish the result of his
Investigations for the benefit OF the
farmers in the hope that they viii
organize and divide Up with the con-
sumer that Sli,0O0.0O0 of velvet in
another year
Thus far Mr.. jenkins has prepared
statements 10 show profits by the
railroad companies in handllng the
potato crop of three States really
on-pcrishable commodity so faf
as the days Of shipment are con-
corned.
Mr. Jenkins who has farming en-
terprises at Dover and at Suffolk, Va.
and is also a shipper OF plant foods
is responsible for this statement
Potatoes hauled from Cape Charles
arc conveyed over the New York
Philadelphia and Norfolk railroad q
distance of 80 miles, over the Phil
adelphia. Baltimore and Washington
railroad Clncludlng Delaware diyi-
sionl. a distance OF l42 miles to Phil
adelphia thence over the pennsyl-
vania main line 10 New York. dis
tance OF 80 miles. making grand
total OF carriages of 322 miles from
Cape Charles to New York
For the lir.t ninety mites from Cape
Nhuics to Dclmar. over the NcW York
Philadelphia and Norfolk Railroad lines
the niroad company eNpenGs ~ coa,
wrtci, train crews and oil. TO haul d
train of 60 cars. the sum of SG5. To hau
from tapc Charles 20 New York city
therefore. hc finds. the wilroad company
cNpcud, Si32 tlhi, docs not ncludl
the overhead expenses. interest ON rich
of Wat car sor, ice and Wcni nud tear
maintenance Of way and signal scrvicel
on each of those go cars the uilron,
company hauls 2OO bafrcls or potatoe
or 10000 barrels. The company eharge
the producer of those potntoos 25 cent
for each barrel rs freight The com
pany. therefore. receives for hauln.
. those barrels of POTATOES $1,000 Il
pays out for moving the train S232. ex
elusive OF the overhead expense ac
count. and IL operates one train riph
after another the whole night long.
What becomes of this S2.76S Is en-
other question that Mr. Jenkins hai
taken up and proposes to appear be
Tore the Interstate Commerce Com
mission in carrying out his inquiry.
Many farmers here are interested
IN the matter and want to see i
Thoroughly aired Some of the rail
road companies trains contain l0l
carloads.