The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1918-05-03
.PUBLlc OWNED MARKETS.

REDUCE tno gap IRON OOCQ 0nQS, giving
them each say Is cents on the bushel
from the middleman's profit. This could
be done through publicly owned
market for all commodities produced by
the farmers and used by the city
workers-and the same plan could be
put into practice to get the product Of
the city worker back to the farmer at q
price where they both would get the
benefit Park River Gazette News
The above was written in attempt to
prove that the interests Of the producer
and the consumer are identical, and that
all marketing wrongs are the results OF
the manipulations of spectators and
middle men.
Broadly speaking the first statement
is true. The man who makes plow
is CO partner with him who holds the
handles in the furrow. Their interests
are lnterdependent. Both are entitled
to share of the crop. The difficult
question is however, what is each mans
share9 Personally, each partner will
want all he can get, that is the human
nature of it.
No publicly owned market" or any
other body can satisfy either of the two
classes. Theoretically a needle may be
made to stand or end without support,
just place it perfectly perpendicular and
it will be done-but nobody ever sue
ceeded in doing it.
4
owned board" that is trying to fix up a
food schedule. We all know the un.
satisfactory results, we all know that
only the exigencies of the wartime cause
the people to submit to the arbitrary
rules and Inconsistencies.
AS matter of fact, IN peace times we
do have great publicity owned mar
ket" that fixes prices under the strongest
rules. Sometimes man, or some men,
think they can beat the game, but any
success they may have is but temporary.
The ''market'' will finally beat any
''corner." Supply and demand is the
balance pole of trade.
Even the speculator makes his bets
with regard to this law. His manipula-
tions are based on what be thinks will
be future supply and demand. But alas
for human foresight, he loses as often as
he wins. Gamblers raroly make fortunes.
Take the potato question. The Ga
zette News states that potatoes were
bought last fall from the farmers at
from As to 60 cents per bushel by some
body; that somebody Immediately raised
the price to 50. 40, and that the difference
was mutual robbery of the farmer and
the consumer. and Mr.. Somebody made
a big fortune.
But the Gazette News stopped too
soon. 1t did not continue the story to
date. For the last three months, the
real market time of North Dakota and
Minnesota potatoes, the price of potatoes
has been less than dollar bushel in
most localities of the two states and on
March 22nd they were advertised at re-.
tail in the Twin Cities at 81 cents and
last Saturdays Grand Forks Herald
quoted them as IS cents per 100 pounds,
or 45 cents per bushel,
That is potent illustration of what
abnormal prices and fluctuations will do
in the great public market.
Potatoes at S2.4O per bushel was an
absurd price compared with other foods.
The public simply stopped buying pota-
toes and su ubstltuted other foods. Re-
suit, thousands Of bushels of potatoes
were spoiled for want of ma srket and
the price went down until now the other
extreme is reached. The latter will soon
correct itself because as the cheaper
food. potatoes will have an increa sed de-
mand.
But at present prices we cannot help
wonder how the farmer and the city
laboring man are going to divide that
fifty cent profit. On that deal it would
look as though the farmer was to get
only twenty-five cents per bushel for any
potatoes he may yet havo to sell. Also
now much pront IS left the speculatOr
who bought potatoes last fall for the
same price that they are now quoted at.
Any body, any law that attempts to
fix arbitrary prices on any one food
product, must, to Be logical, also fix the
price Of every other article produced by
labor-and that is the simple job the
Gazette News would give it's publicly
owned market" Possibly Mr. Townleyi
might do it satisfactorily, we don't know
ofanybody else es5;3t
On May 1st the city Of Quebec went
dry leaving only small cities still wet in
that province, and total prohibition will
.t,tNsn M ov 1sf TOTO IN 4 4, :, =. =, x =