Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1921-10-29
RY RALPH SMITH

having been zen route through
Georgia for three weeks, Investigate
ing agricultural conditions and study
ing the problems of markets, my
tourney was temporarily interrupted
here last might by an office assign
ment to await the arrival of Presi-
dent Harding and trail him through
Georgia.
But the interruption of my itin-
erary and temporary interference
with my plans were assuaged by the
comforts of room and bath at the
Ralston hotel and the convenience
of an easy-runhing typewriter,
through the courtesy of Colonel
Thomas w. Loyless. These Innova-
tions-particularly the typewriter
served to make, possible a >eontinu-
ance of my writing in connection
with the better market campaign
without working serious 1ncorven-
fence in complying with the assign
ment occasioned by President Har-
ding's visit to Columbus.
Railroad Rates and Farm Products
The presence of the president in
Georgia, considered in connection
with the threatened railroad strike
and the general clamor for down
ward revision of freight rates, in
vites attention to Moultrie and con-
ditions in Colquitt county.
Judge w. A. Cevington, mayor of
Moultrie, and former member of the
Georgia legislature, was the first
man L met in Moultrie. He was in
his shirt sleeves, heading for a soda
fountain when 1 hailed him.
what about conditions down
here?" he was asked.
Just as good as anywhere else"
he replied. 1--WE have lots of corn
in the county, and that reminds me
of an incident that impressed me
last Sunday. 1 was going to church
with friend-a farmer friend. He
apologized for the appearance of his;
clothes. They were slick from long
wear.
g I'd get q new suit, but I don't
feel like giving up fifty bushels of
corn for one, he explained. Corn is
selling for 40 cents a bushel, and it
would take fifty bushels of corn to
buy a twenty-dollar suit. I Won
dered where he expected to get a suit
for twenty dollars
w. J. Matthew's, who operates a
grain elevator at Mou1trie, told ME
IAAe1I SOAdo4II COu1Iy HdS IIlS ldISSSI
corn crop in it's history. He estimat-
ed the surplus crop at half million
bushels, but 1 found others who
thought his estimate too high.
1T is all matter of freight rates."
said Mr.. Matthews. "That's the
trouble down here, just as it is the
trouble everywhere else. The rail
road rates are too high. The traffic
can't pay the rates and live They
are hitting the farmers just as hard
as they are hitting manufacturing
enterprises.
The Moultrie Mill and Elevator
company-that is Mr.. MATHEWS en-
terprise-has a capacity of $4,000
bushels of corn, but it isn't full, not
withstanding the abundant corn crop
the farmers have raised.
Figures a Loss
II have 1000 bushels of corn in
the elevator. for which I paid so
cents a bushel. I am not buying
more because 1 have a loss in what
1 already have on hand. I figure an
actual loss of IA cents a bushel on
the 1000 bushels have stored.
Inc corn costs me SO cents q
bushel in the rough--unshucked and
unshelled. 1t costs me about 10
cents bushel to shuck, shell and
clean the corn. Then there is
shrinkage of 1 cent a busheI. due
to drying out. Thus the actual cost
OF the corn, on 50-cent basis, is 81
cents.
What corn I ship from here goes
to the mills at JuIiette. in Monroe
county. They We're paying for Geor.
ga mixed corn on my last price quo
tatlon 90 cents a bushe1 delivered at
Juliette. :,
THE freight rate on corn from
Moultrie to Juliette in the bulk is
is cents d .bushel
From these figures my loss on
the 5O-cent corn is apparent. 1t
costs me 70 cents a bushel to deliver
the corn to the mill and I get ONLY
6o cents bushel for the commodity
IN bulk.
IT'S the freight rates, tell you"
The Moultrie Grain Elevator, in
! normal times, handles approximately
lUO,Oo0 bushels of corn a season.
yet NJ, .,h IT, biggest crop in the
country's history the company is
handling comparatively no corn be-
cause OF prohibitive freight rates
1t is The first time in my expert
ence"- lave ever known a people to
be busted with their larders full an(.
| their cribs bulging," remarked Mr..
| Matthews.
The CT ny at Moultrie
The difficulty at Moultrie, all
II lngs considered, is not so much a
lack OF facilities as it is the prices
| that prevail in the markets. The
city has many enterprises that were
| established with a view to handling
products Of the farm.
There is Il creamery at Moultrie-
| the Moultrie Creamery and Invest.
ment company. 1t is private enter
| prise, and in this respect differs
from the creamery enterprise at
J AshbUrn. 1t differs also in still an
| other particular. 1t h whole
milk instead Of sour cream only
The creamery operates an ice fac
| tory in connection with it's plant,
king elabora ms to ex-
| rand it's business. Mi stations are
Icing established throughout the ter
ritory to bring in re raw products,
| and inducements are being made to
| the farmers to engage more extern
sively in dairying.
| The creamery is the outgroWth of
| an ice cream establishment that sup
| piled u large territory contiguous to
! Moultrie 1t is not contemplated to
| q andon the wholesale manufacture
and s of is cream, the company
plans to expand along other lines
also.
| The dav T visited MouItrie the