Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1914-09-11
RAILROADS WILL
HELP THE FARMER
Common Carriers Will Cooperate in
Marketing Farm Produc-s-Mid-
die Men Charge Higher Rates
for Handling Farm Than
Factory Products.
BY Peter Radford

Lecturer National Farmers lnlOn
The leading railroad systems of the
nation will establish market bureaus
60 assist the farmers along their lines
In marketing their products. Many
roads have acceded to the request OF
the Farmers, Union and announced
their willingness to enter into active
cooperation with the farmers in mar
heting their products.
The express companies have sur
yeyed the field and the Federal GOV.
eminent, through the parcel post,
has demonstrated the possibilities of
the common carrier as useful agency
in marketing farm commodities.
l consider the action Of these giant
business concerns in determining to
cooperate with the farmers in mar
keting their crops, to be the greatest
product of human thought Oh tn
Western hemisphere during the past
year, and it demonstrates that the
educational work OF the Farmers In
ion has brought the nation to clearer
understanding of the real problem
of the farmer.
To give information on marketing
is far more valuable than to give ad-
vice on production. There is a mu-
tual interest between the railroads
and the farmer which cannot exist
between any other lines of industry.
The railroads are the teamsters OF
agriculture, and they are employed
only when there IS something to- haul
Good prices will do more to increase
tonnage than any other factor, and
railroads want tonnage.
Agriculture has many inherent dis
advantages which require combined
effort to overcome in marketing.
There are millions of producing units
working independently and selling
without knowledge of market condi-
tons. The harvest is once year,
while consumption is pretty evenly
distributed throughout the entire year.
and most of the farmers, through
custom and necessity. dump their ell
tire crop on the market as soon as it
is gathered The problem of organi-
zing and systematizing the markets is
one in which the farmers invite as
sistance of all lines of industry friend
ly to their interests.
Farmers Bear the Burden.
The business of the manufacturer
lends itself more readily to organiza-
ton and the facilities for studying
the markets are more easily available
The result is that the merchants are
compelled to handle most staple
manufactured articles al very little
profit, and as a consequence the mer
chant must look to products which
he buys direct from the farm for his
profits.
The reports of the Federal Depart
ment of Agriculture show some ver'
interesting information and enable q
comparison between the cost of mar
keting products of the farm and those
of the factory. A few items will serve
to illustrate the general run. The
cost of getting sugar from the refinery
to the consumer is cents on the dol
lar; the cost OF getting tobacco from
factory to the consumer is IA cents
on the dollar. In sell1ng a dollars
worth of eggs the middleman gets a
profit of so cents on the dollar. In
selling a dollars worth of potatoes
the middleman makes 70 cents on the
dollar; in selling dollars worth o,
fruit, middleman gets 81 cents or
the dollar, ard on cantaloupes s;
cents.
Farmers Bulletin 40. $40, published
by the United States Department 9.
Agriculture, in discussing this SUB
ject. said:
THE high price paid By consumers
ranging from to 500 per cent, II
some cases, more than the farmer
receives, indicates that there is plent.
| of room for lowering the cost of farm
products to consumers and at tbs
same time largely increasing the cas-.
! income per farm, without increasing
! farm production This condition /!
/ undoubtedly marketing problem
i which will have to be solved by better
organization of farmers and improved
methods of marketing"
Large Shippers Influence Rates.
In railroad rates the inequalities
are equally as glaring. Rate making
in its primitive stages was largely in
| fluenced by demands and argument!
of large shippers. but the farmers
were unorganized and seldom appear
ed before rate-making bodies, and tn,
burden of expense in transportation
lies largely against the raw product
of the farm.
In banking, our securities are dis
eliminated against, as compared Will
the products of the factories an,
mines. The farmer is entitled to
+, square deal TIE farmer is more in
terested in good prices and efficien
service than he is in rates.