The farmer and mechanic., 1915-02-23
ARE THE FARMERS
GETTING ENOUGH?
The Consumer Pays Dearly
But Who Gets Most Of
the Dollar?

Chapei Hin. Feb. 20.-ls the North
Carolina farmer receiving a righteous
share of the consumers dollar con-
cluslons, based upon concrete in
stances, We're produced by the North
Carolina Club in its senai-mourhly
meeting TO make positive that the
1armer Is not receiving an adequate
proportion Of the wealth he creates
me tabulation Of figures and the dis
cusslon of the subject was made by
Marion B. Fowler of Durham county,
q student III the University
| The subject concerned itself with
| tne investigation Of the cost OF liv-
| Ing of today, and the relation tha,
| 1t bore to the farmer The figures
OF the United States Department Of
| commerce were given To prove that
the cost of living is steadily increas-
| ing. According To these figures, 25z
articles being taken as a basis Of com
putauon, the average price Of food
| stuffS for the ten years from 1890 10
1893 is forty-five per cent higher now
than then.
Then, the question centered around
the inquiry whether the farmer was
getting the benefit OF these higher
prices. The crop wealth the North
Carolina farmers more than equals
the resources of all the banks. State
and national accumulated in the last
25o years. Yet The per capita wealth
Of the country folks in the state is
only 1922 as compared with SSo9 in
Oklahoma.
, Raw Versus Finished
Examples were produced To show
the widely varying difference g.-
\ tween the price Of The raw prudt:rt
| and the manufactured article or the
article when served to the consumer.
4 a bushel of potatoes served on the
( tables Of New York restaurant coa,S
r the f.
{ OF eastern North Carolina receives FOR
2 $50 bushels. A COW bought Of the
t farmer for $50, when served on the
tables Of hotels and restaurants costs
= the consumer around $4,000.
/ The smokers OF Chapel Hill pay five
i | cents for an ounce bag of smoking to-
| baccO. The consumer buys the tobacco
Il | at the rate Of eighty cents a pound,
: while the tobacco in the raw state
= brings the farmer of Durham and
- Orange counties on an average of ten
II cents a pound. The tobacco ware
# houses OF Durham, Mebane and Wins
n ton-Salem bought tobacco during the
G month Of December, 1914. for that av-
9 erage price.
A box OF chewing tobacco weighs
ten pounds, net weight, and contains
forty-four plugs, which, al ten
cents a plug amounts TO 81 40. The
- farmers share OF that amount is 81;
II the mercahnt gets 8 cents out of the
consumers dollar, and the farmer Za
cents. The question is raised by the
:, North Carolina Club as to who gets the
- 81 cents.
20 An analysis Of the cotton situation
=, | reveals a somewhat similar result
n Cotton is selling for cents pound
. A pound Of cotton will produce si1
- pairs Of ladies' stockings Of the cheap
"a er grade, which sell for fifteen cents {
pair. Thus one pound Of cotton solo
- TO the consumer in the form of hOs'
{, viii cost ninety cents
=, An investigation shows that q farm
y er gets one ton Of cotton seed cak'
es or cotton seed meal in exchange 70
his ton Of cotton seed. y letter from
m q large fertilizer manufacturing com
* pany says: 'SiXty-six and two-third
or bushels of cotton seed are equal 10
re- a ton. One bushel of cotton seed vii
yield practically tWo-thirds Of q gallo
Al Of oil" One ton of seed yields a 4
he gallons Of oil. Cotton oil in the forI
liz Of cott0lene sells at the local stor
Ie for twelve and q half cents q pound
,rs a galIont bucket of it weighing te
on pounds. This means a price Of 81 2
as a gallon or s55T4 that the consume
Of has to pay for ton of cotton see
ng and beef tallOw converted into cot
~ lene. The farmers share disappear
receiving no money value: only the ac
vantage Of better fertilizer from III
cotton seed which he sold.
The North Carolina, Club attached
large part Of the blame Of the farmer
ce' failure to realize his share Of the COZ
suner's dollar at his own door. Co
ton and tobacco raised by tenan
,nt | must be sold at he demand of tin'
no credit accounts The rush TO the ma
II. ket sends the price of the produ
.et. downward IN times when the farmer
-he FORCED TO sell
Here's the remedy proposed by II
-he club: Grow less cotton more co,te
IN. raised y iaIhn owners more tIeo
NJ high grade cotton, increase Of opera
he ing CO Dital in farm regions less d
pendence on supply merchants. no
IN | co-crerative bu5ying and selling.
ves