Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1913-06-24
MARKET FOR HOME PRODUCTS
Commissioner Watson Trying to Do
Practical Work Alonq this Line.

commissioner "dIoOH lIJlHS W
Practical Work Along this Line.
Columbia. June 2O.-"Every agency
making for the cause Of agriculture
in this state and working for the bet
terment of the condition of our peo-
pie has all that 1t can do. In this
department with the new divisions re-
Gently established we have before us
work the value Of which cannot be
estimated" said Commissioner Wat
son today.
But" he added, nearly all Of
these lines Of work have up to this
time been directed to increased pro-
duction. more intelligent and profit
able handling Of the soil, and to the
education of the people looking to
better profits and better living.
have preached and proclaimed In eV-
ern nook and corner of the state Tor
years, the doctrine Of raising some
thing to eat at home and living at
home instead of out of tin cans and
sacks shipped into the state from eV-
cry quarter Of the nation, and there
has been some little awakening, but
as yet, the surface Is merely touched.
We haven't stopped with telling the
people the truth about their un-
economic method Of living, but we
have been enforcing the restrictive
laws as to animal feeds, human
feeds, ETC., so vigorously as to brlng
home to them the foolishness and
wastefuness of buying inferior pro-
ducts that they can raise at nome
and in many instances so as to pre-
vent them from getting the class or
goods that Is palmed on on them
from out Of the state points.
Must Get Down to Business.
"If we are to save millions Of dol
lars wasted in this way, we've got to
get down to business. We have been
hearing no end Of theoretical discus
sions on the subject of marketing,
but nothing in the south have taoln
but nowhere in the south have l seen
any practical working plan for bartar
and exchange of home raised ana
manufactured products devised ana
put into operation. AS l have said'
the men in this department nave
about all that they can do, but this
problem Is one Of such supreme i'm
portance, measurable in losses run
ming annually into the millions OF
dollars. that l have determined under
the general authority given this de-
partment to establish as quickly as
il can be done a bureau Of market
ing which shall be clearing mouse
for accurate information for the use
of those citizens Of the state VINO
have raised and produced something
to sell and those local and other mer-
chants and individuals VINO want
those very products fresh ana pure,
but who have no means or knowing
where they can be purchased save
from those who handle only producls
Skinned in from somewhere else.
Wants to Buy Wheat.
;..,,-oa id Mr. Watson,
here is a letter that came to my
desk this morning from citizen OF
Marlboro county:
"'Can you advise me where L can
purchase two or three bushels Oh
wheat for milling purposes? We are
fond of the whole wheat and l want
it for my own use
Every day the mail brings IN
uuiries of this class. This man wants
home raised, pure flour instead Oh
bleached or some other kind of flour
manufactured I'm the west and ship
ped in. put up in a fancy labeled
sack. Over i'm Lexington and In New
berry rs fine wheat as was ever con-
yerted into flour is being raised in
such quantity to meet large de-
mand of this kind, and this man can
he kent at home, and there need be
no heavy marketing and trade profts
and freight charges for the consumer
to pay, not to mention doctors plils:
"And so it Is with all kinds OF
products of the farm. A farmer VINO
has a large supply of fine oats TO
sell has no means Of knowing VINO
wants to buy oats, and the latter or
ders in several carloads Of sulphuret-
ed oats Of doubtful quality, all the
way from Texas. A dairy union
can furnish fine market cream ana
butter, but can't find a market; tne
ice cream establishment in Columbia
or Charleston may want the cream
and not knowing where TO nnd H.
substitutes canned skinned mix.
And so with live stock raisers VINO
raise hogs and beef cattle: they sac
rifice and ship away to Norfolk or
elsewhere their steers-for song;
the local butcher buys and furnishes
his trade embalmed beef from chi
cago-inspected and passed. And so
again with agricultural seeds and the
bulk of commodities that our people
buy.
Look at the millions Of cans OF
tomatoes and other vegetables ana
fruits that line shelves OF every
mercantile establishment in the state
of South Carolina, shipped in from
Baltimore or some other big eastern
or western city, representing an an
nual expenditure of nearly $4,000
600. And here in South Carolina we
have 1000 girls canning tomatoes,
by United States standards. good,
pure. stuff. and they are asking US
where they can find market. In
the meantime the local merchant
keeps on buying any old kind of stock
i'm the towns and cities and even in
the country, go on buying it from him
paying freight charges on long dis
tance hauls and an endless variety OF
profits. 1t is such a business-like
schedule.
Without regard to preserves, jel-
lies western meats, soda crackers,
etc, note some of the expenditures
made by our people for commodities
from outside the state that they could
raise at home: Bacon. ETC., $lS.OOO,-
900: dairy products. cheese. canned
milk. etc. sl2,OO0,000: flour. SEQ
900. 900; corn $6,OOO,OO0: corn meal.
a sum so large we have not even
been able to estimate it; commercial
feed stuffs, $3,OOO.O0O: hay, $4,000
600; oats, $1.500.0O0; canned goods,
$13,391. 900.
Now, with these facts before me.
| have determined. just as quickly as
the organization can be perfected, To
put into operation a bureau OF mar
keting in this department, whereby I'm
a practical way accurate information
as to what man has to sell to his
fellow South CarolinianS and what
they want. can be exchanged. Com
plctc announcement as to the prac-
tical details Of the work will be made
shortly. | hope to put the OrganiZa-
tiOn on such basis that every man,
woman and child will feel the prac-
tical benefits. The idea central in
my mind is to bring marketing right
down To the individual I'm such n way
that he will experience a maximum
of result. 1t will he interesting To
see To what extent merchants in the
state will cooperate"