Smyrna times., 1918-03-06
I1NlTO GROWERS WILL
RECEIVE 35c PER BASKET
o,u,NG SET BY GOVERN
Ne" soR 1918 TOMATO CROP

u,NG SET BY 0ONGnN-
seSr MEN FOR 1918 TOMATO CROP
o.,..s Of Last Year Nipped in the
HsO ocaI Growers KeenlY Dis
'Ir appointed Over the Prospect
u.to growers of this vicinity.
iU of whom paid off mortgages and
a'n5 sancbt II automobiles last year from the
oous4' % nrices they received, had a de-
is''; amy ior last week when word was
'laSi ai,ed Of, that the L. S. Government
is.' iS3 sve5 the limit at S21.OO ton or
% as' .ant. a- a basket for the 1918 crop.
% % 's management of the official order
u. -, nrblisbed in Fridays daily papers
"aI .I Saturday the farmers who came
'I cnrrna were seen in groups dis
.siro the subject. To those who
I'D anticipated another season OF
81 M tomatoes, the announcement
ol ..me as a severe blow. Some were
s,ep prejudiced to the opinion that
.o+oes in these times of high cost
IIobo, and other things could not be
..,vn for 35c a basket and referred
;. the recent report of the Farm Ru-
,s.n On the subject. Others declared
..or vonld use the ground they had
~ aside for tomatoes to grow corn.
:, !. known. however, that the Govern
wont has had its men thoroughly
,,ouripo the tomato sections of the
,rnt,v, Delaware included, and they
" "a limit as to price on what their
INVESTIGATION reveals to be fair and
,essopable profit to the growers.
Wanv argue that tomatoes were never
worth a dollar a basket, yet growers
about Smyrna. due to the competition
betweer Campbell, Heintz and other
nckers as against local canning
,ouses raid as high as a S1.25 g
basket. The result was that this high
dollar market price was simply
Velvet to the farmers and they took
advantage of it while it lasted.
l Local Situation Will be Back to Norma
Now that the limit has been fxe(
which regulates what fOreigbn buyers
IS well as local canning houses cannO
exceed the situation will get back t.
normal again. Last year the loca
canneries were contracting fO- 25c pc
basket for tomatoes. What they will
offer for the coming season has no
been announced. They can be belOV
but cannot exceed the Soc per bask e
limit. At any event the new Govern
nent ruling will make the situatio
infinitely better for canning houses an
should insure large pack on the De
aware Maryland Peninsula. AccorC
ing to report: "Twenty-one dollar
per ton is the price the packers wi
pay the farmers for their tOnatOC
during the coming packing season
I This price was fixed by the govern
nent Thursday in an announcement {
behalf Of both the Army and Nav,
Last year the market price of TOM
toes was about SIS, but so great VI
the demand that there was last seasC
avid speculation in tomatoes al
these were times when the price II
as high as $40 a ton while $50 W
bynO means unusual.
Ruling Price to be S2LOo a Ton
The price fixed by the Army a
the Navy will be the ruling pri
because all Army and Navy contraC
ior tomatoes and tomato products W
De made on the basis of S21 a ton f
all tomatoes. The government expet
70 buy 5000, 600 cases this seas
0t Its own use. This amonnt is abe
90 per cent of the total pack.
packer will be permitted to pay mt
'nsn S2l, which is regarded as & e
e'ous price to the farmers, and viii
II IS expected will be accepted
mem. The following is the annOun
ment OF the government in so far
II nnxes the prices for tomatoes
delaware and the immediate vicinit
reasonable Price Wish of Governm
In all industries the Army {
'ne Navy are operating under W
'ecognlzed principles in securing r
'Onaole prices as applying to all v
'egllrements. In connection with
,elufrs on tomatoes the Army and
"a'y state that they are unwarran
III making any rulings for canned
Ia'oes' ketchups, or other tomato .
WIS oased on raw material prices
,@ce's OF the following: Pernsylvar
j ,%a'yland, va Delaware and New Jers
~ per ton. Further they do not
"e'e that the other elements Of
u "S oi canning or packing should
p'.mitted to result in an unreasons
Il p"Ce 1or the canned product.