New-York tribune., 1920-03-14
No More Middlen,en!
Let Producer and Consumer
Deal With Each Other
Directly
To the Editor of The Tribune.

10 the Editor of The Tribune.
Sir: noticed in your issue Of yes
terday that the dairy farmers are pro-
ducing 100000 quarts of milk a day
for which there is no market, and
neither can they market other dairy
products, such as butter and cheese,
which might be made from it. This
oversupply has made the situation so
serious that farmers of jefferson County
are reducing their herds. At the same
time we are paying 73 cents pound for
poor butter, such as sold few years
ago for 25 to 80 cents a pound, and
AZ cents a pound for 16-cent cheese
When we complain of the high price and
poor quality to the dealer we are told
that butter and cheese are so scarce
we should be happy to get them at any
price. The manner in which these nee
essaries of life and prices are juggled
evidences some shrewd, though possibly
legalized, stealing along the way from
producer to consumer. In plain Eng
lish, it is simply highway robbery.
The same can be said of flour, an
other necessary of life. Your issue Of
to-day says there are 100000 barrels
of -four for which the government can
not find q market, and at the same time
/ note in your market quotations the
price Of flour is $13.12h barrel,
against $1,000 year ago. That is, the
90 6
during this year Of peace and plenty,
with 100000 barrels begging for a
market, over what 1t was during the
war and time Of shortage. All other
foodstuffs are similarly manipulated.
Now, what are the producer and con-
sumer to do to remedy such an unnat-
ural condition? Legislation seems i'm
potent to effect q cure, and the only
way I see, other than universal honest
dealing, to bring things back to nor
NAL is to eliminate the middlemen, even
to the retailers. Let the producers es-
tablish distributing centers, where con-
sumers can go and buy at first cost, or
let the various municipalities establish
markets and put an agent in charge,
pay for its maintenance by taxation, if
needs be, and make it free selling
point for producers Of every kind of
foodstuff. Give the producer free use
Of the market house and let him sell
his own produce, or, If he prefers to
pay q small commission, leave it with
the public agent to dispose of, and he
go about his business of producing.
This winter paid 40 cents a pound
and upward for fresh pork at the time
farmers were getting 18 to 20 cents
pound. Why should not the farmer
and the consumer split this difference
the farmer get 80 cents and the con-
sumer save 10 cents pound at the
same timer Within few days I saw
farmers wife being paid by the grocer
62 cents a dozen for fresh eggs for
which he charged me IS cents a dozen.
And so on down the entire list.
With public market houses in every
tho producer and consum-
er can be brought together. 1t only
requires the cooperation Of the public
spirited people to effect such change.
For foodstuffs not produced in the i'm
mediate vicinity let the public agent
be the community purchasing agent,
the same as in some Of the oranges.
In that manner every variety Of food
can be distributed direct from producer
to consumer, effecting saving Of at
least Is per cent to the consumer, and
at the same time giving the producer
a 25 per cent advance over the prices
he now receives. -
wish your enterprising readers
would turn these suggestions over In
their minds and let. US get busy and
do something. A. B. NELSON.
Bernardsville, N. j.. March 9, 1920.