Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1914-01-09
URGES PARCELS POST
FOR DIRECT SALES
Eastern Newspaper Believes Best
Method Is From Farmer to
Consumer by Mail.

Presenting the experience of the
Equity Union of Kansas, an organiza.
tion of Kansas farmers for the direct
marketing of grain, as an illustration
of what has been accomplished in the
handling of such crops, an Eastern
newspaper contributes the following
editorial of the proper methods OF
marketing vegetables and like prod.
ucts, to the discussion of the farmers
most harrassing problem, how to dis
pose of his crops to advantage:
Three years of experience in han
ding their grain along independent
lines should be serviceable to the men,
bers Of the Kansas Farmers Equity
Union in determining what can be
done in the matter of marketing gen.
eral farm products on their own &C.
count. Heretofore the organization
has confined its activities to grain. To
promote the work of middleman elm
ination it has founded 1O1 centers,
and nearly every one of these has its
own cooperative grain elevator, farm
ers in every instance being the sole
stockholders.
Instead Of dealing with commission
men, and paying q commission charge,
the farmers in the association through
their respective centers, do business
with the consumer. thus obtaining the
highest market price, net, whatever it
may be. The system, it appears, has
proved highly successful. Not the
least fthe many benefits its confers
upon the producer is the opportunity
1t affords him of holding his grain for
fair prices. His elevator charges are
low and he shares in the storage prof
its. Moreover, through the employ
menl Of warehouse receipts as security
he may obtain credit from the local
bank.
1.-THE Equity Union, however. is now
asked to take further step. The pro-
posal comes in the form offered Wis
iting organizer from Illinois. and the
idea advanced is that the union shall
extend its operations to vegetables and
other farm products, establishing Gen.
trail depots in large cities for the re-
ception and marketing Of consign-
ments. As many regular customers as
possible should first be secured, 1t Is
held, and these should be served by a
free delivery system. The meeting of
the union called to hear the proposal
decided to take no immediate action.
1.-THE storing and marketing of veg
etable presents problem quite diff
ferent from that of storing and mar
keting grain. In the ordinary sense,
grain Is not a perishable commodity;
1t can await satisfactory customer II
its owner is able to carry it. Compar-
ed with vegetables, its marketing is a
simple matter. Warehouse grain is
largely equivalent to cash. since it is
the basis of credit at the bank.
vegetables must find a ready mar.
ket and must, as a rule, be marketed
quickly and on the best terms obtain
able. There can be no holding for
better prices. Stored vegetables are
not good security. Vegetables come
pouring into a city market from hun
dreds Of different points and the Farm
ers' Equity Union might not be strong
enough to control prices against the
flood. Marketing and delivering vege
tables, too, present additional com
plexities. In fact, the whole problem
is one of distribution, and this cannot
be solved by isolated action of any
kind.
ut would seem to be the wiser plan
for agricultural organizations to con-
centrate their efforts upon the perfect
ing of the parcel post delivery to the
point where even the central market
shall be eliminated. The ideal achieve
ment in distribution of foodstuffs will
come, we think, with system Of par
Gel delivery that shall be direct be
tween the farmer or the gardener and
the housekeeper. All other plans lead
to complications that seem likely to be
in the end as unsatisfactory as the
system now in operation"
! II. L. Whiting, secretary OF the
Chamber of Commerce, was elected
treasurer of the Thurston County