Evening star., 1916-12-11
HIGH COST OF LIVING
By Sheldon s. Cline.
No. IL.
Direct Selling.

One OF the plans most frequently ad.
vanced for reducing the high cost Of
living is direct selling by producers in
I thu 'eothtry 70 consumers in the cities.
The plan 10 being given continuous
trial. with varying degrees Of success.
On the average IL Is safe to say that
neither the consumer nor the producer
derives the advantage he expects and
thinks he should have. A very large
percentage OF the arrangements entered
into are abandoned after a short trial.
| but enough Of them are continued to
demonstrate the practicability OF the
scheme and to offer encouragement to
believe that some more uniformly sat-
isfactory method Of operation will be
| found.
! Exhaustive Investigations have led to
the conclusion that failure in most
cases is due to the fact that both par
! ties expected too much. The farmer is
inclined to lay too much stress on the
\ freshness of his products and Is dis
posed to ask az much. or very nearly
as much, as the same products can be
! bought for in the city markets. His
stun generally is fresher. but in only
ness q vital factor. For instance.
freshness is all important with respect
| to sweet corn and strinsbeans. but Of
no importance at all with respect TO
apples and potatoes: while some prod
ucts. such as sweet potatoes. require
| "ageing" before they are at their best.
The chances are that the farmers prod
| ucts are neither SO well graded nor SO
attractiveiy packed as those on the
| market stands.
The consumer. on the other hand,
| thinks he ought to get products at
about the same price the farmer re-
ceives from the commission merchant.
| He doesn't stop to think that 1t costs
the farmer time. il not money. to OBJ
tain his customers: that individual de-
liveries are much more expensive and
less satisfactory than delivery to a
commission house. and that in addi-
ton the farmer must look after his own
collections and. IL he gives credit. run
the chance OF losing some of his ae-
counts.
much given TO changing their minds
ii"sry and then. when il i. d.iiyered.
the stun on the farmers hands. and
very frequently 1t Is q total loss to him.
The element Of suspicion also enters
In as very serious oDStocle 10 sue"
c.ss great many housewives seem
to think that farmers. as q class. are
less honest than groceFymen ana mar
ket dealers: at least. that they are less
responsible. having no fxed places OF
business with which the housewives
are familiar. The result 10 that the
housewives are constantly on their
guard and overcriticai; and this the
farmer resents.
There can he no doubt that direct
dealing between producers and con-
sumers, could its possibilities be real
ICED, would solve many Of the food
problems Of the cities. But there can
be no large realization Of these pessi-
bilities witaeut mutual confidence and
fair dealing. As In all other human
relations. this lack of confidence comes
largely from lack Of acquaintance: II
city buyers would visit the farms from
which their products come. get &c.
Quainted with the farmers wives ana
children, learn how the vegetables are
grown ard see the hens that lay the
eggs and the COVE that produce the
milk and butter. relst tions would be es-
tabiished that would b likely to en-
dure.
NcAt-Co-opsrative Buying.