Phillips County herald., 1922-02-24

pSilHiHeHt IuuiluutlOu! i lie IuTlneES
are not entitled to special privileges !;
but are they not right in demanding
that they be placed ON an equal foot.
ing with the buyers OF their products
and with other industries?
Let us, then, consider some Of the
farmers grievances, and see how far
they are real. In doing SO, we should
remember that, while there have been,
and still are, instances of purposeful
abuse, the subject should not be ap-
preached with any general imputatlon
to existing distributive agencies OF de-
liberately Intentional oppression, but
rather with the conception that the
marketing Of farm products has not
been modernlzed.
An ancient evil, and n persistent
one, is the undergrading of farm prod
ucts, with the result that what the
farmers sell as of one quality Is re-
sold as OF higher. That this sort of
chlcanery should persist on any i'm
portant scale In these days of busl-
ness integrity would seem almost in
credible, but there is much evidence
that 1t does so persist. Even as I
write, the newspapers announce the
suspension Of several firms from the
New York Produce Exchange for ex-
porting to Germany as No. . wheat n
whole shlpload Of grossly inferior wheat
mixed with oats, chaff and the like.
Another evil is that Of Inaccurate
weighing Of farm products, which, II
is charged, Is sometimes a matter OF
dishonest intention and sometimes of
protective policy on the part Of the
local buyer, who fears that he may
weigh out" more than he weighs In"
A greater grievance Is that at pres.
ent the field farmer has little or no
control over the time and conditions
Of marketing his products, with the
result that he is often underpald for
his products and usually overchargcd
for marketing service. The differ.
ence between what the farmer re.
ceives and what the consumer pays
often exceeds all possibility OF justi.
ficatlon. To cite n single Illustration.
Last year, according to figures attest.
ed by the railways and the growers.
Georgia Observation-Disclosures received
on the average 10 cents for a melon,
the railroads got 12.1 cents for carry
Ing II to Baltimore and the consumer
paid one dollar. leaving 19S cents for
the service Of marketing and It's risks,
ms against a0.2 cents for growing and
transporting. The hard annals of
farm-life are rcplete with such com.
mcntaries on the crudeness Of pres.
ent practices.
Nature prescrlbes that the farmers
''goods' must he finished within two
or three months of the year. while
financial and storage limitations gen.
orally compel him 10 sell them nj the
same time. AS n rule. other Industries
are In n continuous process of finish.
Ing goods for the markets: they dis
tribute ms they produce. and they can
cur,nll production without too grea,
injury Ia themselves or the commu.
nifty; but II the farmer restricts his
ouipnS Il Is with disastrous conse.
plfnccs. both to himself and TO the
community.
The average farmer II busy with
production for the major pnri of the
year. and has nothing To sell. The
bull, of his output comes IN the ntnr.
kei NJ once. Because of lnrk ~ stor.
ngc facilities aud of finnnciul support,
the farmer cnnnot curry his goods
through the year and dispose NJ them
rs they nre currently needed In the
great majority of eases. farmers have
TO cnirusi stornge-in warehouses nnd
elcsators- and the iinnnolnl carrying
~ their products 10 others
Farm products ARE generally mnr.
Leted nt n tiuc when there II a con.
gesilon of both transportation nnd
finnnce when cars and money nrn
scnfcr. The outcome. In mnny IN.
sinnecs. X ili1l the farmers not only
sell under pressure. ana therefore Mt
u disadvantage. hut nrc compelled to
tnkr further reductions IN net returns,
IN order Ia meet The charges for the
service of storing. transporting. finnnc.
Ing. and ultimate marketing which
chnrgcs they claim. ARE often c,ccs.
slve. hear heavily on both consumer
nnl prodHeer. and ARE under the con.
irol ~ those performing the services.
II II true that they nre relieved of
the riFhs of n changing mnrket by
selling NJ oncc but they are quito Will.