The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1918-11-30
LIGHT DEFENDS STATE
MARKETING BUREAU

keting Bureau, and believing that you
are honestly mistaken in your views /
want to call your attention to the fol-
lowing facts.
The bill creating the Florida State
Marketing Bureau was submitted to
the president of the National Farm
ers' Union, man who had been
chairman of the national legislative
committee of that organization for a
decade, and he said it was good. The
president of the Florida State Farm
ers' Union said it was good. The ma
jority of the agricultural committees
in both the house and senate of Flor
ida said it was good bill. Two
thirds of the members of both senate
and house said it was good, and pass
ed it under special order on the cal
endar ahead of hundreds of other
bills. Seventy-seven members of the
senate and house out of SO members
voting, said it was good. The COM
missioner of agriculture of the state
said it was good.
The state of New York, the Empire
state of America, has a state mar
keting bureau. Americas greatest
state, by this action, says the mar
keting bureau is good thing.
The legislature of California, a
state with a variety of products sim
liar to our own, appropriated $4,000
for state marketing bureau, thereby
saying it was good.
The state of South Carolina estab-
lished state marketing bureau and
said it was good.
Georgia, our sister state, in July
1917, appropriated $4,000 and in
June, 1918, increased it to $4,000
per annum for the maintenance of a
state marketing bureau. The practi.
cal men of that state after years
Experience seem to think it is a good
thing by more than doubling its sup.
port.
A dozen or more other states have
Established state marketing bureaus.
The United States government
makes large annual appropriations
more than two million dollars at the
last session, for the maintainance OF
the Federal Market Bureau. 1t has
the approval Of the president, of Con
gress, of the secretary of agriculture
and of the agricultural committees OF
both houses. They think it is good
The secretary of agriculture says he
now considers it the most important
of the more than a score of bureaus
in his department.
Is it possible that in the multitude
of minds above mentioned that there
! is no wisdom and that they are al
wrong and that you are right?
Did you know that if the appropria
ton for the state marketing bureau
was paid by all the people of Florids
it would be only one and one-hal1
cents per capita yearly, but as mat
ter of fact it is paid from the fund.
collected from the state of fertilizer
stamps, which means that the farm
ers of the state pay it, and it is about
Fl cents per farm annually, for the
farms of the state. These farmer,
ship 10000 cars of perishables an
nually. They must be moved wher
ready. Don't you think a bureau Civ
ing every possible and necessary as
sistance in marketing these vast ant
valuable crops is helpful?
Did you know that the state mar
keting bureau has found markets fol-
So 100000 worth of Florida product.
in the sixteen and one-half months O.
its life? Did you know that at tn,
present time the bureau is directinf
the sale of $1,00O,O0O worth of pro
ducts per month, doubtless savins
more money to the growers PEI
month than the annual appropria
ton? Did you know that in one larg,
sale of syrup alone that our stat.
marketing bureau saved the farmer.
of Florida more than the whole appro
priation for year?
Mr.. Benjamin, investigate befor,
you criticise. To attack an institution
without thoroughly knowing tn,
truth is very unfair. This is a tim,
when all should cooperate, to de
velop and build up, instead of tear
ing down, by making charges with
out personal investigation and knowl
edge. There is not large manufac
turing concern of Importance in tn,
country that does not spend ever!
year as much or more than our stat.
marketing bureau gets, to direct it.
sales. The farms of Florida are fac
tories that make commoditions in eve
ry month, producing foods, many O.
them quickly perishable, all neces
sary to the life of our people. VIII,
not aid our manufacturing farmers il
directing the sales of millions of dol
lars worth of products. Isn't it ,
ia sensible proposition?
When you turn on the searchligh
of truth the Florida Marketing Blu
reau will not be weighed in the bal
ance and found wanting.
| Yours very truly, L. S. Light.
Reddick, Fla, Nov. 20.