Virginia free press. (Charlestown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1832-1916, 1913-05-22
Ecoiomical Distribution Of
Foodstuffs.

ch.irfn.n q ~ Fr;,co p.;l-.v 60.

er and the friend of the consumer, A
| experienced railroad man himself, h
has devoted years Of study and investi
gatloa to the cheaper marketing o
foodstufs, In the past few years Mi
Yoalnm has addressed many larg
| gatherings Of farmers and producer
and was one Of the principal speaker
at the first National Conference o.
Markets and farm Credits, held in Chi
cago during the month of April
"The government must take hand il
aiding in the establishing Of a system
If economical food distribution, if Their,
~ to be b material reduction in the cos
oflivin0t
Roughly speaking, the products O.
American farms are purchased by the
housewives Of the country for Is billion
dollars and, Of this amount, the firsl
producers receive six billion dollars, o.
46 per cent. Five billion dollars go fol
expense of selling and dealers profit,
or S0 per cent. Waste by decay and
loss in transit and in city markets
amounts to one and q half billion dollars
or IL per cent. OF the 10 billion dollars
the railroads receive little less than
half billion dollars. or less than per
cent.
The place to look for saving is in the
selling expense and loss by waste, the
two items amounting to six and half
billion dollars, or half billion dollars
more than the producers receive.
We are now squarely up against the
plain question of what is TO be done.
The problem is not as simple as increas-
ing crops or live stock production. It
Is as complicated as it is immense in
volume and calls for treatment differ
ent from what has ever been given in
this country. From other countries we
get Some good suggestions as to what
we should do, but our country is near
ly as large as all Europe, and condi-
tions are SO different that we cannot
get as much halp from across the sea
in the way of business methods in mar
keting crops as we do about soil, breed
ing and other lessons which we are
learning from the older countries.
One of the large actual wastes is
caused nv decay offrults and yege-
tables in the Acids. To prevent this
rotting on the farms when the food is
needed in the cities, the government,
through National Market Bureau,
should encourage the cons ruction of
storage warehouses for holding perish
able fruits ard vegetables and for pack
ing and shipping farm products.
" The government, Is now spending ,16
million dollars year, and most of the
States contribute large sums of public
money in addition, for the benefit of ag,
liculture, to pay for experiment sta.
tons, to restore The soil, increase the
Yield, improve breeding and dairying,
reclaim waste lands, study plant life,
protect trees and many other kinds of
excellent work. Inadequate market
Ing facilities and impossibility of dis
tribution hurts every one of the above
1t is therefore the plail duty Of the
government to in pioneering work
for, better market conditions. Proper
packing and shipping are as necessary
as successful farming.
This winter, cabbages were rotting
in Texas because farmers could not get
S5 90 ton for them, and at the same
time hungry people in the cities were
willing to pay at the rate of $50. 90 per
ton. Apple eating is going out of style
because orchardists cannot get fruit to
the fat jewellers and poorer people at
the prices they can afford to pay. The
government pays large sums Of money
to show how to spray apple trees. It
should pay something to show how to
market the apples.
The establishment of these market
conveniences in sufficient number to be
near farms would naturally cost lot of
money and in order to provide these
funds ! am In favor of the government
giving its sanction to an agricultural
credit system not like but similar to
those which have been found practical
In the European countries.
An institution in general way SINH.
lar TO the Credit Foncier la France
could be organized in this country I'M
der Federal Charter. It could be
made seml-governmental in character,
with the Secretary of the Treasury, the
Secretary of Agriculture, and two other
government representatives as mem
bers Of the board of directors. It could
be made stock company of fifty mix
lion dollars capital, FIVE millions to be
sold at NOT less than par, with an addl-
tlonal amount not exceeding five mil
lion dollars to be issued in any one year.
as approved by the hoard of directors,
consisting of the above mentioned gov
eminent representatives and others Sc
lrcted by the stockholders, 1t could
also be authorized to transact business
in foreign countries to get the benefit
Of world market for its securities.
Under such charter, branch organ
izations in different States could be
authorised where the State laws did
not conflict with the policy of the PSF
ent charter; the board of such State
organizations could be represented by
q board of directors. the Governor and
other officials as might be deemed best.
The objects of the company should
be to loan money on mortgages not
exceeding in any case SO per cent. of
the aaearf q mad val,,a II, q rnotirFa r., t1a