Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1914-11-26
THE PARCEL POST
AND THE FARMER
As Yet They Have Not Been
Able to Work Together
ProfitabIy.
THE P. MS EXPERIENCE.
He Has Found, As Has the Postmast.
er at Washington City, That the
Farmer Asks For His Produce
| Prices That Are Too Hlan.

I SI 81 "doIlU8tOH SitJy nat tne
Farmer Asks For His Produce
Prices That Are Too Hian.
CHICAGO.-Extreme optimism, no
less than excessive pessimism, Is to
be deprecated. A little sanity will
oftimes save the over-confident from
ldiscouraging disappointments, and en-
liable a crusader to prosecute the cam
ipaign to the end, in spite of the loss
|of battle. Those persons who ex.
,pected the parcel post to solve the
problem of the high cost of living by
eliminating the middleman are now
disappointed because experience has
brought to light some factors that did
not appear in the theories. The days
of cheap produce are past. Foodstuffs
within reach of shipping facilities
command a price. And the cold.
lstorage warehouses in their eager
ness to get hold of butter, chickens
and eggs during the plentiful season,
to sell when they are scarce, have
forced up the prices on the farm, un-
producer to consumer is no more
than a reasonable return for the la
Ibor of handling the goods.
But there are other factors in this
problem that have caused disappoint.
lment. Postmaster Campbell, of Chi,
!cago, who has been trying to estab-
tlish some sort of parcel post produce
exchange by listing the names of
farmers who would sell, and of con-
isumers who would buy, has been dis
couraged at the prices quoted. A
woman in Iowa offers to send butter
at fifty cents a pound eggs. 40 cents
a dozen; chilli sauce, 40 cents jar,
aud dressed hens, 35 cents a pound.
AS all these prices are higher than
the Chicago retail market a few of
the disappointed friends of the pro-
duce exchange have been disposed to
think some of the naughty middle
men have fixed" these prices.
But, according to Charles j. Brand,
cultural Department, in an article in
Farmers Bulletin Gil, the postmas-
ter at Washington, D. c., has had a
similar experience. A New Jersey
farmer offers eggs at 40 cents a
dozen the year around; a Pennsyl-
vania farmer offers in June fresh,
white, sanitary eggs" at 81 for two
dozen; while Virginia farmer offers
eggs at Washington quotations plus
10 cents. Mr.. Brand adds: "It is
difficult to see how a user of eggs
could afford to pay such prices when
fresh country eggs are being sold by
farmers to country grocers at this
moment for prices ranging above and
below 20 cents a dozen in trade"
The wonder should be, not why the
farmer asks SO much for single
dozen by mail. but how he can afford
to do it at that price. To fill mail or
ders he must see that each egg Is
perfect, else he will not get second
order. He must fuss with packing
them in a way to warrant safe de-
livery. Some packages will go as
tray; all will require more or less
correspondence. The whole process
will take so much of his time that
he could much better devote it to
legitimate farming. At present, when
he has gathered tubful of eggs, he
sells them to the storekeeper as they
run. The farmer can fill orders for
a pound of butter, dozen eggs, or
a dressed chicken, but he cannot dc
it as cheaply as the regular mer-
chants can. He is an expert in pro-
duction, not exchange. and when he
essays the role of middleman himself
he works at the same disadvantage
that the merchant would were he to
attempt to run a dairy.
The parcel post serves thousand
and one uses, but it may be doubted
if it will be extensively used to dis