Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1915-08-26
FOOD PRICE PROBLEM
NO NEARER SOLUTION;
COMMISSION TO PROBE
Inouisitors Fail to Find Why
City Pays High rices and
Farmers Get
Little
MANY OFFER THEORIES
Az Many Causes Suspected as Reme-
dies Proposed-Middlemen At
tackled and Defended

Experts participating in the economic
sonference, held under the auspices Of
,he Philadelphia Vegetable Growers As
ISOLATION, which closed yesterday, admit
mt they are baffled in the effort TO
sove the problem Of properly marketing
The product OF the truck farms. Called
!, nm EFFORT to relieve the bad situation
m which the farmer finds himself at pres
ant. due to inability to dispose Of the
produce he raises, II is felt that COM
paratively little progress was made at
the meeting.
The participants in the conference many
Of them experts in farming and market
ing. realized as never before the COM
plexlty of the problem. Many sugges-
lions were put forward as to methods
whereby the glut of the produce market
might be relieved, but when the days
SESSIONS were ended the meeting had not
agreed on any definite constructive plan.
FOR A COMMISSION.
one step for the future solution of the
problieln was taken. II was decided to
appoint a commission to study the situa-
ton from the standpoint of the local
farmers, and to endeavor to decide Just
what action was necessary to relieve the
vegetable growers at a time when they
are losing thousands of dollars.
Every word uttered bearing on the
situation was recorded stenographically,
and It is felt that this will furnish ma
terial, in the nature of evidence, by which
the question can be studied in more in
telligent fashion than was possible be-
fore. This evidence came from many
quarters. Many of the speakers were
farmers, but there we're also commission
men, grocers, bankers, professional work.
ers In the farming field, representa- tiVes
OF the national and local governments,
ana one representative of the consumers
The problem Of reducing the high cost
Of living was also tackled, but like many
Of the other matters discussed was
scarcely brought out of its previous con-
dition of cloudiness. Attention was
called several times to the fact that,
despite the oversupply of vegetables and
fruits, and the low price being received
by the producer the consumer is paying
just as much as ever for most food
commodities.
EXPLANATIONS FAIL.
A number of efforts were made to ex-
plain the disparity between the whole
sale and retail prices. but for the most
part these explanations were vague.
Mrs. L. A. Yarnall, of Swarthmore, cre-
ated stir when she asserted that the
high cost of living was blamable, in
some degree at least, on the failure of
the housewives adequately to study the
problem of purchasing. She advocated
scientific training along these lines.
It was expected that the commission
merchant would be attacked bitterly al
the conference, but most of the speakers
admitted that the middleman was a
necessary evil. Howard w. Selby, secre.
tary Of the Philadelphia Vegetable Grow.
ers' Association, who presided, said tha,
Il was impossible for the farmers to dis
tribute their product themselves, and
pointed out that 1t was necessary for them
TO concentrate all their attention on the
problem of farming.
CHARGES NOT SUSTAINED.
Charles w. Baldwin, clerk of markets
IN the Bureau of City Property, who IL
one OF the enemies of the middleman, and
who. in an interview yesterday, said that
perhaps 80 per cent. of the commission
merchants were taking advantage of thu
Producer in an INSCRIPTIONS way, failed
to sustain such charges when he ad
dressed the meeting, and even retractec
many of the harsh things he had pre-
viousy said about the middleman.
Ralph p. Clayberger, president of the
philadelphia branch of the Nationa
League of Commission Merchants, wen
TO the defense of the middleman. He saiC
that the charges that they were reapinl
large profits at present were untrue, and
that most of them were not even making
expenses.
Mr.. Clayberger advanced these reasons
Tor the glut In the vegetable market.
Thirty per cent. of the cotton growers
h. GaxW.e ~
instead OF planting cotton: the farmers
on the Eastern Shore OF Maryland raised
third again as much as In other years
VIhese two factors were the cause of q
new supply that farmers had not to con.
tend with before) Because OF weather
conditions all of the crops matured early
complicating the problem of distribution,
as a result of scarcity of money due to
pad industrial conditions the people were
not buying as much as in other years.
GROCER DEFENDED.
The grocer was criticised because he
often makes profit of as high as 400 per
cent. on some commodities, but de.
renders explained that this was due Ia
tne great cost of delivery and to the fact
mat much of the produce the grocer buys
spolls before 1t can be sold and Is a dead
loss
Some OF the views regarding the market
WcAS cApNcooSu 40 AOilOWos
The weakness in the market con.
oitions is that retail prices do not follow
the wholesale prices.
There Is an underconsumption OF pro-
auce rather than an overproductlon.
Many persons are raising their owl
vegetables IN their title garden plots
One Indication OF the back TO the
soil" movement is the swift increase II
the demand for allotments in the vacant
lot gardening being carried on by thu
public schools. Vegetables in sufficient
quantity to support family OF hve car
be raised on an eighth OF an acre
The jobber and not the commission
merchant Is the dangerous factor In thu
marketing problem.
'New-fangled" theories cause many
persons to eat less food than wal
Formerly though necessary.
The farmer Is greedy and kills hil
opportunity by asking exorbitant price,
when he gets chance to sell direct 4
The consumer
thousands OF baskets Of all kinds 0
produce are going to waste In the fields