The Jeffersonian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1907-1917, 1913-01-09

queer 10 reduce Cn0 COSC OIL living.
Several kinds Of answers to this
question must be made. First, the
housewife living in a village or town
from which a rural route starts can
even now make practical use of it.
Suppose she is buying for a family of
five and needs two dozen eggs, two
pounds Of butter, two pounds of sau-
sage and a dressed chicken. These
would weight about II pounds. For
Is cents on a rural route she can
have them carried from the farm to
her kitchen.
AS Illustrative of the difference in
farm and city prices on these arti-
cles, | have the exact figures for
about a year ago. Two dozen eggs
cost "A cents, two pounds Of butter
As cents, two pounds of sausage 16
cents and the chicken (three pounds)
80 cents, altogether $1.38 at the
farm, about 20 miles from Washing
ton. These took the roundabout
process of commerce and cost the
consumer in Washington $2.7O.
These articles, about II pounds,
might be made standing order with
the farmer who would ship them on
a given day every week through the
postal van, as is done in England in
a limited measure. This would mean
81 IT saved on that list of articles,
or nearly 100 per cent. Of their cost
on the farm.
Of course New York city has no
rural routes, | take it, and so will
have to resort to longer distances.
The parcels post rate would be 35
cents if the farmer lived within SO
miles air line from New York, and
46 cents of he lived $50 miles dist
ant air line, and 81 cents if he lived
800 miles air line. That is, the rate
shifts from a cent a pound on the
rural route up to cents pound
for 900 miles.
Of course, the farmers and con-
sumers should have wisdom enough
to get together. In England the far
mer advertises in the London papers
his prices and the rates. Farmers
within shipping distance Of New
York under present rates must take
some means to acquaint the consul
mer with his supplies and prices.
Until credit relations develop be-
velop between them the farmer can
tack on the shipment G. O. D., un-
OCI IGSuIdClOuS SOOu W Nc pION1uGu,
at trifing charge.
Now what the farmer can do the
manufacturer can do likewise for his
retail products-that is, he can ad-
Vertise and do a direct retail trade
where the rates permit. But this
statement is subject to an important
qualification, Of course. The con-
sumner in practice will only deal with
the manufacturer where his pro-
ducts are standardized and have a
known value and character in the
market Take the maker Of shoes
whose make is we'll known for it's
value and reliability. Such a manu-
facturer can sell direct to the con-
sumner, because the latter will know
what he wants and what he is get
ting, exactly as in the case of farm
products. In other cases of non
standardized products, or of articles,
produced in wholesale form only,
which must be cut into retail forms
or subdivided by the local retailer,
the methods of direct distribution
by parcels post are not available.
A word or two to the farmers and
truckers who wish to make New
York their market. They should
take the most up-to-date measures
for packing purposes. AS an illus
tration, paper box manufacturers
have already in anticipation of the
parcels DOSt worked ont containers