New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-12-02
THE CONSUMERS DILEMMA
Reducing Agencies May Be Hurting the
Already Undepaid Producers

inquiries as 70 present production. Invaris-
bly, | got the answer that the make was be
low normal owing TO the high cost and scar
city OF feed. Farmers not being we'll supplied
with feed themselves would not buy and
take the chances Of the present high prices
being maintained. Produce dealers In Min
nespolis report practically no stocks OF fresh
eggs on that market and storage stocks only
so per cent Of normal
Two years Of unfavorsble crops have made
the situation acute and apparently there Is
no relief in sight until after another, and, II
is TO be hoped, more favorable crop season
On our own dairy farm in Southern Mime
sofa our manager reports the same condi-
ton. Using his own judgment in this re-
gard he was feeding light, notwithstanding
f, the unusual high price of butter. Wheat
bran is upward of $50 per ton; oil cake meal
$780, corn and oats in proportion; as result
production was light
I notice that Commissioner Dillon hits the
middeman pretty hard, but II he has refer
ence 10 the wholesale distributor | think he
is making statements without being well in
formed on the subject in question. What
does the farmer get out OF this? AZ the
extreme price Of 43h cents for finest cream
cry butter, a price which really only pre-
vailed one day and was never reached before
on the New York market, the creamery in
The West would get ~ cents net, allowing
cents for the cost Of manufacturing, and
we have 40 cents to go direct to the farmer.
One hundred pounds Of milk Of average
quality will make Az pounds Of butter This
would bring the farmer $3.50 a hundred for
milk delivered to the creamery. Allowing %
cents hundred for the skim milk returned
we have s2.O5 hundred. which reduced to
quarts is so, making price to the farmer Of
cents a quart.
II | recollect correctly Mr.. Dillon main
tanned during the milk strike that the up
state farmer should have cents quart 70
make both ends meet. The actual price paid
the farmers at the creamery | mentioned for
1915 was an average of s1.23 hundred. or
2l1 cents a quart. These figures were taken
from the annual report made TO the stock
holders. II the New York farmer must have
cents a quart, how long can the Western
farmer produce milk at pa cents quart
Possibly the New York state officials are in
terested only in the welfare OF the citizens
of this state, but they must remember that
the chief supplies Of food come from the
West. A boycott no doubt will reduce the
price temporarily, but it is only aggravating
the situation and you are sowing the wind
eventually to reap the whirwind.
The United States will face a condition OF
food supplies in the near future which may
prove serious. And when you are passing
laws and creating commissions to better con-
ditions for the consumer you may be at the
same time taking away, in part, the revenues
of the now underpaid producer and driving
him into other occupations. The middleman
will always of necessity be here. But there
must be more encouraging conditions to the
farm life il we are going to maintain the
right proportion of population on the farm.
The cities are now overcrowded at the ex-
pense of the rural communities.
J.R MORLEY.
Owatonna, Mimi, Nov. 90, 1915.