Evening star., 1917-12-23

| Every business today is stormed with
lperplexities. In its effort to Withstand
the bufrets OF rising wages, of scarce
| and high-prfced material. OF freight
disturbances and of the uncertainty or
! the future. each provokes the picture
of a woman in high wind clutching
at her billowing skirts. That business
| is able to keep it's footing is test-
monial to the ability Of its heads ana
the stability of their principles
| Cooperation is the fetish of modern
business and is the first concession 70
the spreading of the gospel OF ei-
lfciencv. The great industrial leaders
| have found that they stand better
massed on certain issues than hghtins
! single -handed contests
The poultryman has been too mucn
| occunied with problems of production
| furnished by nature to cooperate ne
| has. think generally considered,
spent no thought on combination 70
force low prices on supplies ne re. re.
nroduce. He has submitted uniformly
| to market-made prices-a stranger
valuation of his product-oasea IhoIe
| on actual demand and supply than on
ctuaI costs He has been deiightIuity
free from responsibility in the classi-
! fication of his poultry or It's weight.
He has received his check, minus
| freight. commission and any otner
charges, thankfully. When he 1en ln.o
| the hands of conscientious eommls. J.
sion man he has Jared honestly But
woe to him who happened on the other
| kind. A story came to my atte!Itlot
| the other day of a farmer who shippeo
nears to a neighboring city. when ne
anened the letter inclosing the re
turns'' there lay a bill for drayage;
Freight commission and carriers hao
absorbed their value
Cold storage. once appearing in help-
| fni guise at the time of a glut, is now
t,irncoat 1t flches from producers
the high prices induced by scarcity
and has become, towards them at least
an instrument of injustice.
dealing in market or with some re-
| taller has been obliged to pay prices
he regarded as extortlonate. ne
might the more readily understand II
sometimes six middlemen handle pro,
duce before it reaches him. At one emo
| of the road is the producer. at the otner
end the consumer, each amazed aha
dissatisfied with the value OF dozen
eggs or a pound of poultry, or whatever
| tbe commodity exchanged. Each, igno-
| ra Mt of the products circuitous route, is
| the victim of circumstances one pay
too much, the other receives too n.tle.
Hence the columns Of the metropolitan
yectiye of these disgruntled customers
| directed toward innocent and injured
raisers The latter, blandly opiSlous'
| have produced what they can. oattiing
| with disease, accidents and unseasoh :
able weather, and accepted the COM
mission mans dole.
| The only relief seems to be the olrect
route from producer to consumer. Yer +.
tain facts compel this belief. two OF
which are the number of agents at
Ia "A Itrf
| table, and their alleged irregularities.
| If as alleged, six middlemen inter
vene between raiser ana user TINS Is
| FIVE too many. The consumer. paying
the original price plus the commission
| of many agents, thinks wrathfully of
the producer who, miles away in Con-
necttcut, or Maryland, Kentucky or
90 IJM msul 10 quo uslsp lseIIeus
Texas cashes disappointing check
and wonders how much longer he can
continue in the game. For his cheek, be
1t known is not clear profit Therefrom
were deducted carrier charges and COM
mission.
reasonable solution. 1t appears. now
ever, that Mr.. Consumer must be en-
lightened The plan is popular with
him He sees in its successful opera
ton a substantial reduction in his egg
and poultry bill The best educatioh
wherewith to give him new view
point would be for him to become
poultryman. The erstWhile chichen
raiser makes a rational consumer The
truth he learns is that as he pays less
the producer must get more. Each
makes and gets concessions. And the
advantage is always on the consumer
side. for in this business of direct
route the raiser must assume the mid
dleman's duties
Prices should be quoted T. o. b. or
plus freight per pound The weight
should be given according to express or
freight agents tally. One of the
present injustices toward the raiser Is
that he has to accept the commission