The Ordway new era., 1915-08-13
An Office of
Markets Here
Government May Station Mar
Here During Melon
Shipping

Office OF Markets, U. S. Department
of Agriculture, Local Office, Ord,
way, Colorado.
Now that sounds little strange, a
little of the mysterious and some
thing that needs explaining. But
that is something we'll all know
more about soon. 1t Ia something
like this:
A year ago the commission men
handling cantaloupes and fruits 10 the
California districts operated under
the name OF the Western Cantaloupe
Exchange. 1t didn't get very far un.
til the firms under this system were
indicted for violating the Sherman
Antitrust act. Then there was no
protection, the growers suffering a
loss on glutted markets the same as
the shippers. To relieve the situa-
tion the government, the same gov
erDment that told the shippers they
could not organize for protection,
stepped 10 and this season created
q department to look after that very
thing and so well did IT work 10 Cali
fornis that the Arkansas valley may
be given the same aid. 1t is probable
that the Office OF Markets. depart
ment Of agriculture, will station a
government man 10 Ordway and one
in Rocky Ford. He will have as his
cabinet representatives of the COM
mission houses shipping cantalOupes
and growers and every day there will
be q cabinet meeting TO 60 over the
shipments. the needs Of the various
cities Of the country and how many
cars may be sent to this or that point.
After the name Of each shipper is
the contracted acreage. With the
United States as q checker board the
melon men then play their game. The
government man makes public the
number and destinatious of the cara
which Weutput the day before. THIS
is followed by the reading OF the tab
ulated estimates of shipments to be
made that night. Distributors send q
report OF their contemplated ship
ments of that day to this government
man. These he complies and when
the meeting Is called the total mum.
Der Of cars destined to markets 10
given ont and the estimated needs Of
the different cities are made. New
York may be able to handle ten cars;
Chicago. ten; st. Louis. seven; Gin.
cinnati, six; Boston nve and so on
dowu the line. Now II the shippers
were sending their cars out independ
ent OF the other and six shippers 10
the field each with ten cars or a total
OF sixty cars. these sixty cars might
become piled up on the New York
market and the price drop to almost
nothing while other markets we're
clambering for a few cars.
This Cabinet. under government
supervision, makes everything public,
The government agent reads the
estimates:
"St. Louis dve," he calls. That's
TOO many"
ne ls dSktu Juc udmeS Vi Uuc sup
pers and they are read.
"lll draw out" announced one dis
tributor.
"All right, that makes four" re-
spends the government man "St.
Louis was shipped three yesterday
and that's enough for her. Who else
is drawing out?"
Il pulled out OF St. Louis yester-
day." says one of the four remaining.
Il havn't put single car In there
this year." speaks up another.
"Well, let's hurry along. Well flip
for It," answered the first man. The
two dip coin and the drst man loses.
Let's see, put me into Providence.
She's ready for another car" he tells
the chairman, and the distributor
who first Withdrew asks that he be-
allotted Buffalo. Down the list they
60. touching every car.lot city 10 the
arranging the destination Of
the cars.
Buy your posts at Tiedemann's.