The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1915-06-04

Is inc one Important LniuS.
The association must do better
than get the commission mans price
for the farmer; he can get that for
himself. 1t must get in touch with
the retail trade, and get for itself
the price now paid by the consumer
to the corner grocer. When 1t does
this the grower will come into his
own.
The Call has the right idea and it
is an idea that should be impressed
upon the mind of every grower OF
fruit or potatoes in the state. The
case of the Kimberly potato grower
cited is not an extreme one. Last
fall, just such potatoes as the Call
describes, were sold to dealers at
Twin Falls for 80 cents hundred,
and they were not always willing to
pay even that. The same potatoes
at the same time were retailed in
Chicago at 40 cents per peck. | know
because paid that price for them
several times. Michigan and Wiscon-
sin potatoes at the same time sold
for from 121s cents to II cents a
peck.
The freight on potatoes from Twin
Falls to Chicago is So cents per
hundred. The charge for unloading
and storing for one month in Chicago
is 5 cents per hundred, total cost
in the warehouse in Chicago, rea ly
for delivery to the retail grocer, or
SO cents per hundred pounds.
4Oc per peck equals $2.66 per
hundred. 5r
Deduct the cost as above, csc, and
we have left $1.73 per hundred that
has been appropriated by the Chicago
commission merchants and retail
grocers. A pretty large proportion of
the price paid by the consumer.
1t doesn't seem fair that these
middlemen should receive $1.73 for
their share in the transaction. while
the grower receives for the use Of
his land, the work of planting, irri-
eating, cultivating, digging, sacking,
hauling and loading the potatoes
only 80 cents and out of mat has to
pay s cents for sack. The grower
and the consumer are both being rob-
bed by having too large proportion
of the retail price taken by middle
men.
But what is still more important
to the grower is the fact that his
market is being restricted and the de-
mand for his product greatly reduced
by the high retail price charged.
Should the retail grocer sell Idaho
potatoes at the same ratio of profit
as he does Wisconsin or Michigan po-
tatoes, his sales would increase ten
fold for no one would buy the infer
ior article if the best could be had
at anywhere near the same price.
What are you goins TO do about
it, Mr.. Potato Grower and Mr.. APP
pie Grower and Mr.. Peach Grower?
You can't do much unless you get
together intelligently.
We all know what the Brownsville,
Texas, Bermuda onion growers did
and what other growers have done
when they have laid aside petty jeal-
ousies and still more petty attempts
to get the better of each other, and
have pulled together in the right
spirit.
What has been done by Mr.. Dallas
H. Gray of Armona, California, is in
teresting IN this connection. He is
a grower of raisins. He was success
full for years and laid by a comfort
able bank roll. Then came a year
when the buyers refused to pay
reasonable price for his crop. He
refused to sell and loaded car with
raisins and shipped it east. He picked
out small town in Iowa, put his
car on a side track, had big sign
painted announcing that the car was
loaded with fresh raisins grown by
d. H. Gray's vineyard in California,
and would be sold out at retail and
at wholesale prices. The sign cover
ed the side of the car and could be
seen from the main street of the
town. He sold out in ten days. Sold
more raisins than had been retailed
in the town before in two years, sold
them at half the usual retail price
and MADE profit.
He repeated the experiment and
made more money, sold not only all
that his vineyard produced, but all
that his neighbors could supply him.
Now he has retail store in the
heart of the business district Of
Chicago, No. 80 w. Monroe street.
A store where practically nothing but