The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1918-12-12
HERE J.. S. PLAN
To CUT The Cost
OF LIVING HERE
BY e. C. RODGERS.

BY e. C. RODGERS.
N. E A. Washington Buroau
Washington. D. c., Dec f0.-Heres
one solution for the high cost OF
living problem.
+ 1t is a double-barreled affair. u
markets the farmers produce al
good prices and meets the consum-
er's needs at saving prices.
Inaus1rating New Distribution Sys-
tenn.
Take a sample. It begins In Two
Taverns, Pa, and ends in the PARK
View school house here In Washing
ton. This is the inaugIr alton OF
community shipping and buying
program which is planned to be ex.
tended all over the United States.
The farmers near Two Taverns, 80
miles from Washington have formed
selling organization called the Mt.
Joy Community Association. They
chose A. Nevin SpOnsellOr. communi-
ty secretary. The postoffice de-
partment has made him postal agent
and the Two Taverns schoolhouse
has been made the community post
office.
During the day the teacher handles
the community's business. Sponsel-
lor goes around among the farmers
hours The children bring vegetd-
bles, butter, eggs, poultry with them
when they go to school. Their pa
rents haul wagon loads OF food to the
schoolhouse
Sponseilor attends to the posting
and mailing, parcel post
Then the ex-army postal motor
trucks appear.
Food is Loaded on Army Trucks.
The community's products are
loaded in them and the trip to the
other end of the solution is started
In a few hours the trucks appear
at the Park View schoolhouse, 10
Washington.
their own agent, j. G. McGrath, who
was afterward made postmaster in the
schoolh ouse postoffice. He gets
salary for his time and work.
Park View housewives tell their
children to bring home eYhat they
need. That saves delivery costs.
On Saturday, the big marketing day,
children and their parents bring fam
lily market baskets to the school,
house.
Two Taverns, a food producing
center, sells by the community plan;
Park View, food consuming CEN
ter. buys by the community plan. This
makes for less cost OF distribution;
les waste and gives food to consum-
ers at lower price than under the
pays higher prices to the producers.
The United States postoffice de-
partment has organized to operate
four motor trucks out OF Washington.
These are the first two SchoolhOuses
to be used as postoffices, and the
first OF the 200O0 arm trucks which
will be used on these motor routes
is now running between them.
Network of Lines to be Established.
/ found that fresh eggs sold al
Park View folks were paying from 10
dozen when they were selling in
Washington stores at 80 and that
to 40 per cent less on vegetables,
poultry. butter than other Washing
ton families.
And at the same time Two 1ayerns
farmers told me that they were get
ting more money for their produce
than they got by selling to individual
buyers, hucksters or commission
men.
Edward j. Ward, government spec
ialist in community organization, who
started the schoolhouse postoffioe
community buying and selling move
ment, is convinced that within few
years there will be hundreds OF thou
sands OF such community centers- in
this country. He is cooperating with
Fourth Assistan Postmaster General
Bleakesley to widen the field OF the
community truck route as fast as
community selling and buying cen
tiers may be established.
1.-THE thing to de- Ward said, 'is
for the people OF any community re
get together in the scheolhouse, elect
an agent, and arrange with the school
auth critics to use the building for a
marketing center Then they should
communicate with the postoffice de-
partment This applies both to the
city consumers centers and the pro-
ducers' centers.
1t is planned to start the middle
west motor truck route system out
of Indianapolis and from there run
further and further until the whole
countr is a net work OF them.