New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-11-17

! mission. however. that such is the
| reason for the present upward trehd
/ of prices. What they are anxious TO
! have Is a duly authorized body, with
power to compel attendance OF wit
nesses. for the purpose of learning
, lust where the responsibility for this
/ wholesale waste should be placed.
/ One of the incidents of the general
waste is that OF the use Of thousands
of tons Of fish for fertilizer on Barren
+ Island. An almost equally large amount
Of fish IS thrown away without ever
reaching the city's markets. Lack OF
adequate fish markets and the desire
of these in control of the situation
here to maintain high prices are gwen
as the probable reason for this sltua-
ton. ~
Lack of cold storage facilities 10,
the proper handling Of food that ar
rives here during off seasons is an
other reason advanced by the PERKINS
vised cold storage plants are recon-
mended as solution OF this prooleH'
as we'll as a means of removing com
plete control of prices on storage
products from the hands OF private IN
dividuals.
In this connection Mr.. Perkins called
attention to the experience OF GER
! tain Florida shipper who sent car
| load Of pineapples to New York. me
fruit was shipped at a season "heI
there was a demand for pineapples ahd
/ they were in perfect condition wheN
they reached the city.
Fruit Shunted to Canada
For some reason none of the com
mission men appeared willing to pur-
chase a carload of pineapples. So the
car was sent on TO Chicago. The same
/ inexplicable condition obtained there.
: So il was forwarded 10 Winnipeg,
where it finally found a purchaser a.
what then was the market price.
The raiser of the fruit was far from
encouraged by this result, however
When he received his bill from me
railroad that had been hauling his
fruit about the country he found that
the total cost to him Of giving his fruit
to Winnipeg had been exactly S34
above the amount paid for 1t.
The remedy for this situation offered
by the food commission is that Of dis
tributing such information to produc-
ers, by telegraph. that they will not
forward their wares TO New York, Chi-
cago, or any of the great centres un-
less there is an actual demand for II.
Such bulletins. it is believed, would
soon become Of such value that they
would pay for themselves II distrlbu-
ted, like weather forecasts, TO sub
scribers.
Retail dealers, il has been found, are
not the blosted plutecrats that they
are generally imagined, but actually
are working at q disadvantage because
Of the lack OF facilities for handling
fresh supplies demanded by their
patrons. The hope Of Mayor MitchePs
voluntary workers is TO supply them
with these facilities in the near future.
Attention is called in one Of the
Perkins commissions reports TO Mayor
Mitchell. TO the unnecessary expense OF
duplicating delivery systems. 1t is
pointed out that the city OF Rochester
obtained good results in the distribu-
ton of milk by the establishment OF
three depots in as many sections OF
the city, at which farmers deposited
their supply each day. From these
points it is delivered 10 consumers
without the customary waste incident
10 the appearance Of half a dozen
wagons at each city apartment house.
New Delivery Plan Urged
The same suggestion is found TO
apply to the delivery OF groceries and
all other food supplies. The report de-
scribes the system now in vogue in En-
poria. Kan, where individual delivery
service has been probably abandoned
10 turn the business over to one de-
livery concern.
These recommendations Mr.. Perkins
said, are but a beginning TO those that
probably would be made after a thor
ough investigation By commissions that
had power 10 act.
What we need more than anything
else is information upon which 10 act"
said Mr.. Perkins. at Is proper. of
course, that we should obtain the high
prices that Europe is willing to pay for
our products, but the question is, To
what extent should we export these
products abroad, to the detriment of
the home market?
Take wheat, for instance. How much
of the wheat raised here should be ex-
ported. and how much should be kept
AZ home for our own necessities? There
rs nobody 20 answer that question.
Even partial embargo on foods may
hot be necessary, or IL may be found
that some regulation of exports may be
needed just now. The point is that no.
body knows what should be done. and
no steps are being taken TO find out
We are unfortunately going ahead,
with nobody responsible for the result.
at was interesting 20 read this
morning on the very pages OF the
newspapers that contained my letter TO
Governor Whitman calling attention 10
the necessity for food commissions,
that France and Great Britain were
planning control OF foods through the
appointment, Of food dictators. II these
are necessary there II is obvious that