Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1916-12-15
Editors Letter Box
The "Hop in the Dollar"
Winslow, Me-, Dec. Is, 1916

bHe ro0 ~ Ino DotiAT
Winslow, Me-, Dec. 10. 1916.
Editor Kennebec Journal:
attended the banquet Of the Water
vile Chamber Of Commerce last eve
ming. They had fine lot Of speakers
and their talk was very interesting, but
I never was at a meeting when I had
| SO great desire to talk out in meeting.
The speakers showed clearly that New
England is not ON the map agricultur-
ally and advocated education for the
J farmer and the country boys by various
means and especially by such means as
the National Dairy Show at Springfield
and a proposed State Fair at Water
vile.
| Not one Of the speakers touched on
the real reason why New England is
not on the map as an agricultural dis
trict.
One would think with the best mar
kets for food products at our door that
the farmers of New England would be
prosperous. The markets are at our
very door geographically, but practi-
cally these markets are very far away.
The system of distribution is so ineffi-
cient and extravagant that large part
of the money paid by the consumer is
absorbed by the system and does not
get back to the farmer. To illustrate,
the veal calf raised in Waterville is ex-
pressed to Boston. consigned to a COM
mission house, sold to a wholesaler,
transported to his cooler, sold by him
on a telegraph order to a retail dealer
in Waterville and expressed back to
Waterville and then sold to the con-
sumner.
Under that system of distribution the
producers share of the consumers dol
lar is on the average IS cents. The
system absorbs the other IS cents. AS
long as that proportion obtains New
England will never get on the map.
Education on production lines will
never remedy that condition. State
fairs will not even help.
The Chamber of Commerce will never
try to change it. for their members are
the ones who absorb the 65 cents of the
consumers dollar. and they will fight
to retain that proportion.
The one thing that will change the
proportion of the division Of the con-
sumer's dollar is organization Of the
agricultural interests to control the
system Of distribution and cheaper the
cost so that the producer will receive a
larger share Of the consumers dollar.
IL the system Of distribution could be
changed and cheapened SO that IS cents
was the. producers share and IS cents
was the share for distribution, New
England would land on the map with
both feet. She could find herself, the
farmer could compete in the labor mar
ket with the manufacturer stones would
be dug out and hauled away. stumps
would be grubbed out and burnt,
swamps would be drained. the farmers
would fall over themselves to get better
methods. better education and better
stock. Corn, potatoes and clover would
take the place Of the gray birch and the
sweet fern. celery and garden crops
would grow in what is now the haunt
OF the frog. the mud turtle and the mos
quito. The business Of farming would
take It's place as one Of the most re-
spectacle and desirable Of callings in
stead of now by far the poorest paid
grade of responsible labor
The farmers know what is the mat
ter. They are beginning to make a
start in organization, but the members
Of the Chamber Of Commerce instead of
helping will fight this movement to the
last ditch.
The Chamber of Commerce will try to
tell the old story that bigger crops are
the farms salvation. The farmer knows
better. he has tried 1t, he has sold his
potatoes for Is cents per bushel and
seen those same potatoes sold at retail
for rs and IS cents per peck
State fair is a good thing for the
stock breeder. The bigger and better
the fair the better for the stock breeder,
but the stock breeder is not the man
who Is feeding the people. If Mr.. Eaton
had to sell his Herefords at beef prices
he would not continue his business. He
sells his good yearlings at $3.50, some
at double that. maybe a few of the
poorest have to go for slaughter but
that is not where he gets the money for
expenses and possible profit.
1t is idle to talk education on pro-
duction lines to the farmer whose share
of the consumers dollar is IS cents In
just the proportion that the producers
share Is increased. just so will his in
terest in education and better methods
be increased.
The farmer knows what the trouble
is. Watch and see him change the con-
dltlons. j. l.. DEAN.