The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1917-10-21
TIME TO GET-TOGETHER

letter to the merchants of Pensacola and,
like most letters that Mr.. Dexter writes,
it's we'll worth reading.
He says the farmers desire to spend their
money here, but in return they ask Rensa-
cola to make it easier for them to do, SOY
They want Pensacola to provide market
for their products-a local market SO far
as possible, but a general market as we'll,
with storage facilities where perishab1es
may be assembled and held for shipment in
carload lots to points where prices are best
and ready sale certain.
The suggestion is a good one and should
receive serious consideration, followed by
definite action.
The need for such a warehouse Mr..
Dexter suggests has long been realized. It
has been the subject of discussion at in
tervals during the past several years but,
each time, it has "died in conference" not
because Pensacola is unwilling to finance
the project, but because there has not been
proper understanding and cooperation be-
tween the city man and the farmer. Capt.
tai must have reasonable assurance of fair
return before it will finance a new under
taking. The farmer must have reasonable
assurance of a market before he will plant
the crops that would make the warehouse
profitable. Both capitalist and farmer
both are wary now. Some months ago.
local business man and an Escambia county
farmer made good preliminary progress
toward establishing small packing plant
with cold storage facilities for handling
vegetables and dairy products. When they
presented the idea to prospective investors
they were told that the two branches were
entirely separate, also that a small pack
ing plant would not pay here and that
there is not sufficient livestock in this sec
ton to Justify a large one. Then man
who was confident there would be salts
factory profit in sweet potato kiln. toured
the adjacent territory and gave up the idea
because he believed it would be impossible
to interest the farmers to grow the va
rieties which he could handle to best ad-
vantage. A pork products manufacturer
who recently located here says he will
probably have to close his plant because he
cannot buy hogs to meet his requirements
from the local farmers.
On the other hand, the farmer COM
plains of bringing his products to Pensa-
cola and finding no sale, of hogs yielding
less than half the market price and OF po-
tatoes rotting in the ground.
When such conditions exist, something
is radically wrong. The farmer and the
CITY man are ready and willing to cooper
ate, but they simply don't know how.
The farmer says, assure us OF proht
and we will meet you more than halfway.
The city man says teh same. but they
make no progress and each thinks the
other wholly to blame.
A solution would seem to be to employ
the best qualified expert in the country-a
man who knows agricultural conditions in
this section and who knows packing, hand |
ling and marketing as we'll. Have him
make a complete survey of the situation
and prepare a program to be followed,
pledging the farmers to its support and en-
listing the necessary financial aid in Pen |
sacola The farmers should be consulted |
in selecting the expert-he must be man
in whom they have conhdence-but Pensa-
cola should. and would. paw the cost OF the
survey The money would be subscribed
in single dav. if the farmers favor the
idea and will follow it. Pensacola wants
to help develop the wonderful resources of
our back country Just the Farmers
want to help up-build Pensacola All that
stands in the way of hearty, result-produc-
ing cooperation is lack of a definite plan
and right is the best possible time to
get together and decide upon that plan.