New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-10-06
A DISCORD ABOUT APPLES
Who Mr.. Gavan Is and the Produce
System He Defends.

o the Editor of The Tribune.
Sir: The letter Of Joseph W. Gavan in
The Tribune of September "a needs some
elucidation. In the first place, Mr. Gavan
lacks candor in denying his readers the in
formation that he is editor of produce trade
paper and in that capacity holds retainer
from the members of the produce trade who
want the system of food distribution to re-
main as it is In other words he has a selfish
interest in his support of the old system.
This does not appear from his letter.
am not concerned with Mr.. Gavan's plunge
into politics. have no retainer from Mayor
Mitchell or George ". Perkins, but my under
standing is that Mr.. Perkins drew no salary
from the city for his services on the Mayors
Food Commission, and / draw no present sal
airy from the state for my poor services. Both
# these facts must be known TO Mr. Gavan,
if he is to be credited as an editor with full
information on the subject, and, If so, his
intimation that large salaries were drawn
for this purpose from the city and state
treasures must have been intended TO
deceive.
As for the rest, like all prejudiced wit
nesses, Mr.. Gayan defeats his own testimony.
First he says the State Department Of Foods
and Markets is arrayed against the Mayors
Market Commission to get high prices for
the farmer, while Mr.. Perkins was expected
10 get cheap food from the farms for the
city consumer. But in the next paragraph
ne proves, to his own satisfaction at least,
that the department sold peaches at auction
&c the highest bidder in the city for IN
cents a basket, while the old dealers sold the
same quality Of fruit at private sales for
higher prices on the docks. Certainly, If the
department sold fruit cheaper than the deal
ers in the city there was no conflict between
II and the Mayors commission, the function
Of which is TO reduce the cost Of living.
Again, Mr.. Gavan says the department
failed 10 serve the farmer; that private deal
ers paid 1880 barrel for the Teator orchard,
while the bid at the auction conducted az Red
Hook by the department was only s3.15.
The facts are that before the auction
sales dealers bought apples Of uniformed
growers as low as 90 cents barrel, and in
TO case paid more than $3.50 The orchard
auction sales brought prices from S265 20
$40 and standardized the price for apples
in various grades for the state and auction
sales in the city, conducted with half the
expense to the farmer, realized the prevail
ing prices for the day.
The fruit is bought in the country and at
the docks by dealers who sell il to other deal
ers A low price TO the farmer simply means
more profit to the dealer The consumer gets
no benefit under the old system. What cor
sumner Of peaches in this city bought peaches
at reasonable profit TO the dealer above
|17h cents a l4-quart basket? Remember. the
farmer had 20 pay freight and selling charges
out OF this price. II what Mr.. Gavan says
were true. namely that they could buy cheaper
in the city and country at auction than at
private sale. does any one believe that the
dealers would fight the auction system as
they now do ? The department is not trying
70 increase or decrease Wholesale prices II
is trying 20 establish system so that foods
will sell on the basis Of supply and demand.
Il wants food sold on an open market in
broad daylight SO that all may know its cost.
The dealers want 10 buy privately in the
dark. so that no one knows prices but them
selves. They even 90 so far as 20 stipulate
in contracts that the price must not be re-
vealed. The department wants 20 reduce the
distribution of food TO a business; Mr.. Gavan
wants 20 maintain il as trick.
Under your present system shippers send
food 10 New York City only when they can
sell il nowhere else. They often get less than
the freight. which they must guarantee in
advance. As a result they let It rot on the
ground while your city children hunger for
IL, and no one gets it except at extortionate
prices. On an average for every dollar paid
by the consumer 65 cents goes TO the cost Of
distribution. The farmer gets 80 cents This
Is the system that the dealers, ehsmpionei
Iby Mr. Gsvsn. are trying to perpetuste. You