Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1915-02-16
FROM FARMER TO CONSUMER
Heavily Multiplied Costs Distributed
Among Middlemen.
Chapel Hill, N. c., correspondence

| Chapel Hill, N. c., correspondence o.
the Charlotte Observer.
Is the North Carolina farmer re-
| ceiying a righteous share OF the con
| sumer's dollar? Conclusions. baseC
| upon concrete instances, were produc.
| ed by the North Carolina club IN lts
| semi monthly meeting to make posi-
| tive hat the farmer Is not receiving
an adequate proportion OF the Wealtr
he creates. The tabulation Of figures
| and the discussion Of the subject was
made by Marion B. Fowler OF durham
county, a student in the university.
The subject concerned itself frs,
| with the investigation Of the cost o
| living today, and the relation tina,
1t bore to the farmer. The figures
! of the United States department Of
| commerce were given to prove tina
the cost of living Is steadily increas.
ing. According to the figures, 25'
acres being taken as a basis OF com
putation, the average price OF 1000.
stuffs is As per e n higher now thar
| 1890 to 1893.
Then the question centered around
the INQUIRY whether the farmer was
| getting the benefit Of these highel
prices. The crop wealth Of the North
Carolina farmers more tha equals the
| resources of all the banks, state ano
| national, accumulated in the last 25'
| years; yet the per capita wealth OF the
country folk in the state Is only 1922 as
compared with 1929 in Oklahoma.
Examples were produced to show
| the widely varying difference between
the price Of the raw product and I'M
manufactured article or the article
| when served to the consumer. A bushe
of potatoes served on the tables OF q
| New York restaurant costs the con-
sumner as much as the farmer OF east
| ern North Carolina receives for Isl
bushels. A COW bought Of the farmer
for $50, when served on the tables OIL
| hotels and restaurants costs the con-
sumner around $4,000.
The smokers Of Chapel Hill pay
five cents for an ounce bag or smok-
ing tobacco. The consumer buys the
tobacco at the rate Of 80 cents a pound
while the tobacco in the raw state
brings the farmer Of Durham and
Orange counties on an average OF IL
cents a pound. The tobacco ware
houses of Durham, Mebane and Win
ston- Salem bought tobacco during the
month Of December, 1914, for that
average price.
A box Of chewing tobacco weighs
10 pounds net. The merchant pays
$3.50 for this box Of tobacco, contain
ing A plugs, which at 10 cents a plug
amounts to $40. The farmers
share Of that amount is 81; the mer-
chant gets 10 cents out Of the con-
sumer's dollar, and the farmer 2s
cents. The question Is raised by the
North Carolinaa club as to who gets
the So cents.
An analysis Of the cotton situation
reveals a somewhat similar result
| Cotton is selling for S1-4 cents a
pound. A pound of cotton will pro-
the cheaper grade, which sell for 16
cents a pair. Thus one pound OF cot
ton sold to the consumer in the form
Of hose will cost 10 cents.
An investigation shows that a farm
er gets one ton Of cottonseed cake
or c%ottonseed meal in exchange for his
cottonseed. A letter from a large
fertilizer manufacturing company says:
"Sixty-six and two-thirds bushels OF
cottonseed are equal to a ton. One
bushel Of cdtonseed will yield prac-
tically t~wo-thirds Of a gallon OF OIL
One ton Of seed yields A 1-9 gallons
Of oil. Cotton oil in the form Of cot
tolene sells at the local store for twelve
and one-half cents a pound. a gallon
bucket of it weighing 10 pounds. This
means a price Of $1.25 a gallon, OF
1854 that the consumer has to pay
for a ton Of cottonseed and beef tai
low converted into cottolene. The
farmers share disappears, receiving
no money value; only the advantage OF
a better fertilizer from the ]cottonseed
which he sold.
The North Carolina club attached a
large part of the blame Of the farm
er's failure to realize his share of the
consumers dollar at his W door
Cotton and tobacco raised by tenants
must be sold at the demand Of time
credit accounts. The rush Of the mar
ket sends the price of the product
downward in times when the farmer
is forced to sell.
Here is the remedy proposed by the
club: Grow less cotton, more cotton
raised by farm-owners, more clean
high-grade cotton, increase Of op.
Grating capital in farm regions, less
dependence on supply merchants
more cooperative buying and SELL
ing.-Chapel Hill, N. c.