Omaha daily bee., 1922-05-23
Distribution
of Consumers
Dollar Is Shown
Department Of Agriculture
Investigates Market Spreads
and Efficiency Of
Agencies.


farmer who raises the iood' The
United States Department oi Agri-
culture is engaged in marketing
studies that will lie useful in proving
whether or not the farmer is getting
his fair share.
Market spreads and the cost oi
marketing are being examined with
the idea OF increasing the efficiency
o. marketing agencies. There Is
often a wide margin between what
the farmer gets and what the con-
sumer pays, and il is desired to de-
,efmine how nearly the margins cor
respond 10 the necessary cost,
The statement that the farmer
gets but 10 cents out of the con-
sumer's dollar is only partly true.
For some crops lie gets less than 30
cents on the dollar. while for others
he gets more, II is probably too low
an average Tor the great bulk OF COM
modlties. according TO the depart
ment's figures.
Varies With Conditions.
II, is mos, important to notice tina,
what the farmer gets ont OF the con-
sumcr's dollar varies with conditions
and cannot fairly be represented by
single figure DR.. Erdman. who is
in charge OF the cost OF marketing
studies, says. The farmer may be
getting his full share at 20 cents in
one case and be mercilessly cheated
in another case where he gets rs
cents out Of the consumers dollar"
DIR. Erdman lists some OF the con-
dltions which cause the farmers
share 10 vary. as follows: Perisha-
bility, distance TO market and freight
rate, extent TO which manufacturing
or conditioning processes involve
labor, length OF time product must
be stored, extent to which packing is
necessary, quantity which the con-
sumer takes at each purchase, value
per pound.
What Farmer Receives.
The following figures represent
the cents received by the farmer out
OF each dollar spent by the con-
sumer on an average. Notice par
ticularly the variations, DR.. Erdman
advises:
Michigan potatoes sold in Columbus. o. |
1hree crop yesrs-19Is to 1920, incl), SIC. |
Potatoes tMicho Ne. Wis.) handled by !
a group Of companies from which costs |
were obtained, season 1888. 4Sc: sea-
son 1920. ssc.
Potatoes single shipment, on;ey Va.
to Philadelphia. Pa. July. 1921. 5l.sc.
In faII
York. ss.sc: Washington. 64.sc; Columbus.
o. 551c; Milwaukee. roc.
Milk. several Wisconsin cities. Nov.
1917 twis Exp. Sta. Bul. :ss. 1e17), sc.7c.
towns. MASS. Agr. EXP Sta. Bul. l73.
Milk. seven companies, Wisconsin. 1890.
.Wis. Dept, Of Markets. NO. Bull. Oct. !,
1e2D. $3.50.
Other Varieties.
Onions. car shipped from Laredo, Tex,
TO Philadelphia. July. 1921. 1850.
canteloupes, car shipped a, from cslifor-
Peaches. car shipped from Monticello.
Ga. to Philadelphia. July. 1921. 34.5c.
Oranges. December !, 1913. to Novem;
ber Is. 1918 California Fruit Growers
OF U. S.) 3o.sc
Oranges. November 1b. 1919 tsame as
oranges. November Is. 1920 tsame as
Oranges, December, 1929. to May. 1921. |
inclusive (same as above). 2ssc
Cattle, calculations based typical ship. |
ments. June, 1921. 53.5c. Similar. esti- |
mate for June. 1918. $3.50
Tobacco. Kentucky Rurley best s1.ds rad,
smoking tKentucky Asr. EXP. sta. hul.
amount of labor and long period OF
storage are involved. as well as sale At
retail In very small auantitieso
Cranberries season 1920-21, sac.
Il w
tistics Bull. 1907. Tic.
Share Varies Widely.
1T should be noted that in such
products as wheat and milk the farm
ers' share varies widely with the stage
at which the product is consumed,
DR.. Erdman says: Thus we may cal
culate the farmers share of % the
wheat which the miller buys, (2) the
flour which the housewife buys, 60
bread which the housewife buys at
a store, and (4) the bread which the
guests of fashionable hotel eat. AT
each Of the successive stages expen-
sive services have been added.
I'm the case of milk, we may find
the same dealer selling milk in bulk
at sc per gallon; in bottles at whole
sale, at 10c per quart-or &c per
pint; in bottles delivered at the
home at 12c per quart or 7c per pint,
and at the same time the fashiona-
BILE. hotel may be charging zoe a
glass (S0c quartz Here we have
- wide range Of prices, and the pro-
ducers' share will vary accordingly.
1T should be pointed out that
these figures should not be averaged
without giving proper weight to the
various commodities, and that even
they represent only the particular
instances and times mentioned"