The Washington herald., 1914-01-01
A marketing Problem"


chosen TO help him direct the affairs OF
the nation will devote some thought to
the report OF the Department of Agri-
culture on the farm production in 1913
1t tells of a condition which should
mean prosperity in city, in hamlet, and
in country. There should be no wlIis-
per of hard times or high cost of living.
In crops the United States produced
value of S6,Ioo,oooooo; in live stock a
value of S3,65oooo,ooo, total of So,75o,-
100000. Here is wealth which is pro-
duced at home and remains at home,
for that which is exported will bring in
return its equivalent in money or the
products of other lands. Surely this
means prosperity; but the whole tone
of the Agricultural Departments report
seems out of harmony with President
Wilson's administration. The report
says:
Had the total production in 1913
equaled or exceeded the 1912 produc-
ton it seems probable that the cash in
come per farm would not have been
greater and might have been less than
in 1912: but il is extremely doubtful
whether the cost 10 the consumer would
have been any less. because retail
prices are promptly raised on a prospect
of urdcTproductiun. but are very slow
10 decline il here is ovcrproduction.
The long line OF distributors and mid
N al, 81,
consumer are in A position, TO a certain
extent. TO control the market, in both
directions. because they are better or
ganized to keep informed OF crop and
market conditions and to act promptly
than either farmers or consumers, who
are not organized and as individuals are
helpless. The high prices paid by con-
sumerS ranging from ; TO nearly 500
per cent, in some cases more than the
farmer receives. indicate that there is
plenty OF room for lowering the cost OF
farm products to consumers and at the
same time largely increasing the cash
income per farm without increasing
farm production. This condition is un-
doubtedly a marketing problem, which
will have to be solved by better organ
ization of farmers and improved meth
Ods of marketing
Secretary Houston's department seems
TO have sounded the keynote to the sit
uatiOn. The consumer pays much; the
producer gets little. We arc told that
this condition is undoubtedly d mar
keting problem, which will have to be
solved by better organization of farm
ers and improved methods of market
ing In other words, long line of
unworthy middlemen. nonproducers, are
living, in more or less luxury, at the
expense of the man who produces the
food and the man who consumes it.
Hence, the farmer mingles his COM
plants with those of the wage Garner
in the city who buys his products.
And just here arises a great problem
for President Wilson and his co-ad-
ministrators. 1t is not new one. Past
administrations have heard the wall of
the producer or the wall of the con-
sumer. Some have listened TO the walls
of both, as is the case today; but usu-
ally when the farmer has been prosper
Gus and contented the toiler in the city
has been impoverished and discontented,
and vice versa. The middleman, his
ranks doubled or trebled in recent
years, has become just that much more
factor in the division of the wealth
of the soil, until it is hard to satisfy
all.
The Department of Agriculture puts
1t down as marketing problem" And
so it is; and SO was the tariff. If Pres
ident Wilson can solve the first, we
will leave the second to take care of it.
self and predict the triumphant re-elec-
tion of the Democratic party in 1910.