The Washington times., 1914-10-06
|i|DDLEMAN GIVEN
BOOST:BY SHERMAN
'iarkets Official Tells Visiting
Postmasters They Are Men
OF Greatest Honesty.

fervid defense of the middlemen.
ID of the commission merchants of
ashington. as men of economic nee
sity in the present needs of distri-
rtion. as men of the greatest hon
~. VINO operated in the closest COM
tition on small profits, most of them
lst keeping their heads above water.
as made D. John II. Sherman. super
tendent of weights, measures, and
markets OF the District government,
.oday
In a speech before the Joint con-
cntion of postmasters Of Delaware,
.'aryland. the District. Virginia, North
and sSUuin Carolina, assembled in the
Jew National Museum auditorium,
Mr.. Sherman declared that because of
he economics of production and con-
-umption in the United States today
here was no hope of a reduced cost
Il living. but that the high cost"
Ould be kept about where it is by
.limination of waste
Mr.. Sherman emphasized that the no.
lions of great profit to the middlemen
we're mistakenly reached by the public
Nhe public. he said, learns that the price
4 certain food product doubled in
lassfnS through the middleman's hands.
sut this is not his profit. There are
many landings and mich waste.
Nj sSHfI MAI SdlO lHdI even LIlS
much lualiGned commission men, arc
pretty good citizens. they are honest,
and as a rule their profits are small.
Most Of them just keep their heads
bove water"
Today was parcel post day at the
.ostmasters' convention, devoted entire
y To this branch of the service, and to
arcel post marketing.
With the fight between the farmers
nd consumers with the middlemen, the
parcel post has no concern"
postmaster Praeger opened the parcel
post session this morning with a speech
n which he declared that the greatest
"ffender against the parcel post was
ne chief beneficiary. the general pub
ic- Ten out of twelve packages dam
acking
lie was followed by Charles ]. Brani,
rhlef Of the division Of markets of the
Oeparunent of Agriculture, who dwelt
m the economic factors in direct buy
ns: He gave an Instructive talk on how
10 buy and how not to buy by parcel
Dost. going into detail with the expari-
ucnts conducted jointly by the Postof-
ice and Agriculture Departments.
John e Koons, chief of the division
OF salaries and allowances and chair
man Of the committee that put the par-
eel into operation recited the history
Z nd growth of the parcel post, and told
or the progress made and great achieve
nent scored in its successful operation.
n the parcel post is to war on the
lnluoleman. 1t is your work to improve
ne practice of the middleman, cornpel
the elimination of wasted, I can't make
" nlainer. The profits are small. and
I aey operate on a close margin in the
-reatest competition, but as a rule they
are honest As sealer of weights ! can
say that in the scales examined more
give over weight than under weight
sometimes, continued Mr.. Sher-
man, there are eoiSht or ten middle
men between the producer and the con- !
snmer, but IL YOU go over the whole |
ground you cannot find where one can
ne dropped. Each gives service, and |
for little or no profit. Some of them |
have to turn over produce at no profit
20 save loss.
Now the United States Government
promises TO step in and be the middle
man. Uncle Sam must justify his svs-
em by cutting out waste otherwise
YOU will fail. If the parcel post win
DO Its work right you will cut the
price The nliddleman is prepared for
that cut and can care for himself"
UP to Postmasters.
Mr.. Sherman concluded with a warn
ng that Postmasters would be respons-
bic under the net weight law, to see
hat the net weight or quantity of food
was marked on each parcel post pack
age
Following the adjournment Of the
morning session, Postmaster Praeesr
made brief public statement in reply |
o Mr.. Sherman.
I was surprised. but interested he
AID, in the defense by Mr.. Sherman
# the middleman. For fear that the
,ublc may gather from his remarks
hat the parcel post is Interested one
way or the other in the middleman's
rouble. l will say that the parcel
,ost Is purely q transportation me-
iiuin. ready to serve the middleman,
he consumer, and the farmer alike
md that ii has no apology TO make |
% the middleman for serving the
.armer and the consumer and no
apology by the farmer and cunsum-
n for serving the middleman.