Norwich bulletin., 1921-10-14

isting farm organizations on equal ( terms and striking bargain of mutual benefit? K I answer: MoSt assurediy there is ex- actly such an organization among the consumers, one made to order, one might almost think, for the occasion. It does not, indeed, include all consun1- CTS. but It does include a very consid- erable proportion of those whose need of more and cheaper food Is especially urgent.
 I refer to the labor unions of the cit ies. Each such union contains a con- siderable number of members mostly l heads of families and all wage-earners. whost interest in increasing the buying l capacity of their wages is personal and l fntense Moreover, they are often afTil- 1 lated. more or less closely, with other unions. Their power. when acting to- getler, is enormous. And they are es- , peciaily organized for acting together. The most the general public knows of them is usually in connection with strikes. either for higher wages or against reduction of existing wages. But this isn't by any means their sole pur- pose. It certainly Is not their only op- portunity.
 Powerful as they are, they are not strong enough to withstand economic | laws. Mrs. Burlington was a sturdy housekeeper and her broom was. doubt ] less, Of the best. But, when she tried ] to sweep back the Atlantic ocean, she met more than her match. Tn the pres ent condition Of the world. any attempt to secure & general increase of wages Or even 10 prevent general reduction of wages cannot help but be as futile az Mrs Partlngton'S struggle with the Atlantic tide. The worldwide tendency ls towards defRtion not only in prices or products but in prices for 'sbor to maks tnoss products. It Is not only useless. 1t Is silly to fight the !nevita- his.
 But. in tEeIr ahenAy existing organ I!zationx, the labor unions have the chance, l: they will only seize it. to make ta,e smaller wages Of today and tomorrow bring them greater values, In farm produced foods, anyway, than the bigger wages of last year did. All they have to do Is to arrange with some farm organization to suap'y them in wholesale lots at wholesale prices with the far4n-prodtrets their members need, and which they are now buying in sl1irpy little lots at exofbitantly high retail prices.
 Food Cos,rnissioner O'aIsItax [: New York city doesn't hesitate to say that focf9 pricks ought to he as low, now. as before the war. The only reason they are not, he onerly asserts "ls that deal CTS are taking excessive profits. " ' With the sing'e exception of apples practically every item. i'll the wholesale market is selling at the lowest price ;T y years" he says But the single con. sumer. who cant buy in wholesal' 2 quantities, is still comDelleG to pay q prices. unreasonabtv high in proportion ? for his daily supplies.
 : Just as an illustration of the differ = ence between what the producer get and what the consumer pays, listen t this story of mutton: A central wes sheep recently shipped 12.00t sheep to the Chicago markets He wen with them and, after selling them. wen Into a stockyard's restaurant fnr treak fast. He ordered mutton chona and when he came to pay the bill. foun, that his two chops had cost him all tha he got for four fat sheepi
 And still we wonder at crinne!''
 It is surely high time that steps wer taken to prevent this sort of buccaneer Ing. And there are increasingly nu
 merous signs that such steps are goin
 to be taken. I think I've a'ready ca11e
 your attention to the Chicago labo
 union which, last spring, beat the ohio trust by sending an agent to Texas buying a carload Of the finest Texa
 onions at regular wholesale prices. pay
 ing the freight on them to Chicago. an
 then selling them to it's members at
 nrice less than half that of the retail
 CTS.
 The Toledo. Ohio. B,nde reportg tba
 in that big manufacturing center man
 abor unions are now vigorously at wor
 on this very problem. The two big ma
 chinists' unions arc taking the lAac
 They frankly explain that their ohiec Is to reach some practical nAtho
 whereby the products of nearby farm .. can be brought to the tables of thei
 members without paying profits t
 commission men, buyers, jobbers an
 others
 Already they have received an offe
 from z farmers organization just owe
 the fine in Michigan to send tfern g
 thev will take of potatoes. cabbage. or
 iona and apples, in carload lots at ca1
 load nrices. The off1cia,'s of the unior
 are now with this offer in hand car lvsssing the union members to see whs trasponse they shall make.
 It seems impossible to doubt the ou