Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-01-25
Steps Taken to Bring Farmer
and Washington Consumer
Nearer.
deficiency SERVICE"
SOON TO BE ORGANIZED
Proposals Discussed at Meeting
Under Auspices of the House.
keepers Alliance.

Preliminary steps toward bringing
the farmer and the consumer together
on broad lines of cooperation with the
ultimate idea Of getting better and
tresher food at more reasonable prices
were taken at meeting held at the
Raleigh Hotel last night under the
auspices of the Housekeepers' AL
lance. Farmers told Of their willing
ness to cooperate with the consumers,
while the consumers declared they were
willing to help the movement along
by providing cooperative organizations
IN the city with distributing centers
where the farmer could be guaranteed
a sale for his goods, and agents Of the
Department Of Agriculture present ex-
planned their efforts to bring the farm
er and consumer together. The whole
affair is termed ian efficiency service for
producer. and consumer
Following last nights meeting, George
D.. sudWorth OF Chevy Chase, D. c.,
declared another meeting would be held
within the next ten days. when active
steps toward organizing an efficiency
service In Washington would be taken
Mr.. Sudworth presided at last night S
meeting; He explained that this meeting
was called to feel the pulse of the people,
SO to speak, to see whether the minds
Of the public were ripe for such a
movement. He declared that he felt,
from talking with those present, that
such move ment would be successful in
Washington
Speakers at Meeting.
Those who addressed the meeting were
John r. Dos Passos Of New York, ].
B. Mormon of kensington, Nd, Lewis
B. Flohr, scientific assistant in the office
OF markets of the Department of Agri-
culture: DR.. Augustus Stabler, state agent
for Maryland in farmers cooperative
demonstration work. and Mrs C. B.
Gardner Of California.
declaring that figures compiled in the
ONCE Of markets indicated that food
prices are continuing to climb, Mr.. Flohr
declared that means for reducing the
nigh cost OF living must be considered.
He told Of the Investigations of the office
of markets, OF experiments which he per-
sonally conducted into the shipping of
eggs by parcel post from the poultry
farm to the consumer. and declared that
the office of markets was ready at any
time to do everything possible to bring
producer and consumer together with the
idea of lessening the cost Of food, and at
the same time raising the standard. The
people. he declared, could be used as a
sort of laboratory material for the office
Of markets.
Will Aid Movement.
when you have a practical proposition
for bringing the producer and the con-
sumer together" he declared, Submit ii
to the office of markets, which will en-
deavor to establish the contact between
the two. We will use you, SO to speak. as
laboratory material. We will attempt to
hitch the source of supply up with the
distributing unit The office Of markets
is now working out the problem of dis
tributing butter by parcels post. This
is a dificult problem, because of the
fact that carton containing butter is
likely to be thrown into a mail sack
next to steam radiator where it Is
subjected to temperature of about 1OO
degrees"
He declared that the Office of markets
was about to issue a bulletin on the
distribution of eggs by parcel post The
speaker asserted that the shipping of
eggs by parcel post was practicable and
his experiments had been successful in
every way. The breakage. he declared,
is very small. He asserted that the
Office of markets was now about to be-
gin investigations in shipping other arti-
cles by parcel post.
Middlemen to Stay.
Mr.. Flohr told the audience that they
could never think of eliminating the mid
dlemen entirely. They will always be
with you, he said. The trouble today,
said the speaker, is that many cor
porations are overcapitalized. I'VE have
too many grocery stores. There are too
many milk wagons. Half the grocery
stores in Washington should go out OF
business for their own good and for
the peoples good. That's also true of
every city in the country. There is not
an industry in the country that is not
overcapitalized."
Mr.. Mormon and Mr.. Das Passos both
farmers, declared that they were in favor
of the movement. Mr.. Das Passos called
attention to the fact that nothing had
been done for the farmer in the way of
legislation, but that everything was done
for the corporations. He concluded by
declaring that he was for the movement
and would help it in every way, even to
the extent of helping 1t financially. al
though farmers do not usually have much
money" Mr. Mormon declared that he
thought if the householder and the pro-
Queer would get together there's a
chance of getting eggs at prices lower
than they are at present bought for in re-
tail stores, and, In addition, there would
be the knowledge that they were fresh
eggs" He declared there were plenty
of farmers willing to get in touch with