The Canon City record with which is consolidated the Canon City cannon., 1919-04-03


ing, plowing. Gu tivating and hoeirg
was $50 per acre. with an average pro-
duction of IA tons per acre. or $2.15
per ton.
The price which we paid in 1918
was the price established by the UnIt
ed States government. and under the
food administrator regulations We
were not allowed to pay over SIS per
ton, SO that the.criticism that a h'rher
price was paid elsewhere is not justi-
fed. The price which we are paying
this year is the equivalent to any pfics
maid in the state of either Colorado o.
Utah.
Our plants cost us So per thousand
plus the cos. of seed. With an ave--
age yield of 10 tons per acre, the c ,st
of the plant to US is $3.50.
Utah is paying $14 per ton and
charging the plants, which il equiv
alent to s11.50 per ton net.
Grand Junction. s13 per ton anc
rharrino the plants. which equivalent
to $40 80 per ton net.
Manzclona', SIS per ton and charg
ing the plants. or $3.50 per ton ne.
Northern Colorado is on the same
basis that we are, $12 per ton and fur
nishing the plants
that is at all higher is the Manzanola
plant. which is SO cents per ton more
than our price.
This pant at Manzanola is operated
by Libby, Mcneil & Libby. they max
ing both the Gamers profit and the
jobbe-'s profit, and therefore has a
greater leeway This so cents per
ton, however. is made up by charges
for boyes. and the cul ing out of infe-
rior tomatoes which we do not Gull,
with our growers.
l mention the Manzano'a plant in
the event that some question should
be asked you concerning the price
they are paying
You may possibly hear the com
plant that last year we shipped IN to
matoes and paid SIS per ton, plus the
transportation charges. and the ques
tion may be asked II we could afford
to pay these transportation charges
here, should we not give our home
growers the benefit of this additional
price?
Our answer is that in case of ship
ping in cherries we do give our grow
ers the benefit of the additional price.
as the outside growers are paid the
same as the Canon City growers. less
the cost Of transportation.
In the case Of tomatoes we could not
ordinarily afford to ship in tomatoes
as the transportation will wipe out our
profits. In 1918. under war condi
tions, we were obliged to fl certain
contracts which we had with the civil
ian trade and large orders that were
Communicated by the United States
when this district was wiped out by
hail. we shipped our supplies in from
we could obtain them.
The cost of transportation wiped out
all ofour profit on the tomatoes shipped
in. and in some instances showed us
an actual loss. 4
You may a SO have the complaint
made that last year white issuing an
appeal to patriotism to secure our can
ming supplies of tomatoes, we shipped
these tomatoes out on the produce
market at very high margin OF profit
to ourselves.
This statement is false. and we are
willing to make affidavit that we did
not ship out one pound of tomatoes on
the produce market that were con-
tracted for canning purposes.
The tomatoes shipped by us in the
produce department were purchased
from truck gardeners who grew their
tomatoes for produce purposes. and
who were not under contract to US TO.
purposes.
In answer to the possible question
Of why we cannot pay as much for
tomatoes this year as we did last. the
answer is two-foid: First. because the
market on canned tomatoes is much
lower, and. second, because in 1918
The government guaranteed us a GER
tain percentage OF profit on our output
year.
The payroll OF the Canon City plant
in 1918 was upwards OF $4,000. The
payroll under normal crop conditions
will exceed $4,000.
For every acre of tomatoes grown
the payroll of this plant is increased
s120. The payroll of the valley is in
creased nearly 5000.
Under normal crop conditions this
plant will use 1000, 900 pounds of cuI
app es and from 100000 to 1000, 900
pounds of cherries.
While there would be market for