The Monmouth inquirer., 1922-07-06
Government Cooperation Ex-
pected to Avert Losses Laid
to Capricious Reflections.
NEW JERSEY FIRST STATE
Club Women Keep Tabs Upon Price
Gougers-voIunteer Market Report
ers Send Information to State
Bureau for Dissemination.

inspection of graded farm products.
This will be achieved through arrange
ments completed by state and federal
market bureaus for cooperative sys-
tenn Of standards and operations In
handling this summer several thou
sand carloads of white potatoes from
New Jersey farms. At least a dozen
other states, according to W. A. Sher-
man Of the United States department
of agriculture, who has worked out the
cooperative inspection agreement
with Chief Alexis L. Clark of the New
Jersey Bureau of Markets, soon will
be in line on this program, which is
hailed by farmers and shippers as a
great step toward better marketing
methods.
New Jersey farmers have been
definitely planning during the last two
years for the use of certain grades in
marketing staple farm products, but
official recognition of these grades out
side the state has heretofore been lack
ing. They have recognized that
shipping point inspection that would
carry a guarantee to these outside
markets would be necessary in order
to derive full value from the grading
system. This will now be effected
through an agreement whereby the
state potato inspectors will be appoint
ed by the United States department of
agriculture as federal inspectors at
dollar year salary. Their inspections
made at shipping points can thereafter
be accepted by federal inspectors sta
toned at any market destination Of
farm crop shipments.
The New Jersey inspectors of farm
products will be given thorough train
ing for their work under federal in
structors. They will be in charge of
Douglas S. pilts of the state depart
ment as state supervisor Of crop in
spection.
AS the plan will operate in its initial
application toAthe marketing of pota-
toes, the crop will be graded under
four 9siandards, labeled officially as
an. T.U. S. Grades" These will In
clude ssTancy," mo. l." "No. l, Small"
and "No. q" each with specifications
known in detail to buyers.
Protection to Buyers
A buyer anywhere in the country
can order these potatoes, knowing ex-
actly what to expect in size and quail
ty, as each shipment must conform to
the official standards in order to be
certified by inspectors at the shipping
point under the seal of the United
States. This official guarantee not
only will safeguard the buyer, but also
will afford protection to the farmer
against an unscrupulous type of deal
er notorious for practice of rejecting
shipments at distant destinations on a
falling market, claiming they were not
up to specification. The certificate of
inspection will be prima facie evil
dence in any court of the state of New
Jersey and all courts of the United
States. and genuine cause will have to
be shown hereafter for any rejection
of shipments.
New Jersey farmers begin to ship
their potatoes about July Is. Three OF
the largest groups of growers have
asked for the inspection service on
their entire crop. These are the Gar
den State Potato Growers Co-opera-
tive Association, the Monmouth Coun-
ty Farmers Cooperative Association
and the Burlington County Supply and
Produce Association. Neither grading
nor inspection is compulsory under the
New Jersey law, and the official guar
antee will be applied only to the prod
nets of those farmers who decide to
adopt the plan.
Cooperation of the state and fed
eral bureaus on the inspection service
was made possible through provision
in the recent appropriations bill pass
ed by Congress. The federal depart
ment has agreed to further co-opera-
tion. and plans are now being made by
the New Jersey Market Bureau to ex-
gtend/fhe inspection service as farmers
NAV request it to other crops for
which official state-federal grades are
established.
Close Watch on Margins
To aid the campaign of state organi-
cations to check profiteering in farm
products this summer 80 New Jersey
women, prominent in their respective
communities, have enlisted as market
reporters. They have worked out an
effective system and are receiving CO.
operation of the state department OF
agriculture. 1t is believed that their
activities will prevent too much of a
spread between farm and retail prices.
The reporters are members of either
the New Jersey League of Women
Voters or the State Federation Of Wo-
mems Clubs, but their identity in their
home con1Sspnitiss is surrounded with
mystery, nd their activities are di-
rected entirely from their state organ
.izatfons. Any housewife inquiring the
price of fruit or vegetables on her
morning visit to the store or market
may be procuring this information, so
that there is no opportunity for any
dealer to recognize her and misquote
prices.
The retail prices of seasonable COM
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