The Republican journal., 1922-01-19
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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 purposefu
abuse, the subject should not be ap-
preached with any general imputation
to existing dlstributive agencies of de-
llberately intentional oppression, but
rather with the conception that the
marketing of farm products has not
been modernized.
An ancient evil, and a 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
chicanery should persist on any I'M
portant scale in these days of busi
ness integrity would seem almost in
credible, but there is much evidence
that 1t does so persist. Even as |
write, the newspapers announce the
suspension of several firms from the
New York Produce Exchange for ex
porting to Germany as No. 2 wheat a
whole shipload Of grossly inferior wheat
mixed with oats, chaff and the like.
Another evil Is that of inaccurate
weighing of farm products, which, 1t
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 underpaid for
his products and usually overcharged
for marketing service. The differ
ence between what the farmer re-
ceives and what the consumer pays
often exceeds all possibility of justi-
fication. To cite a single illustration.
Last year, according to figures attest
ed by the railways and the growers,
Georgia watermelon-raisers received
on the average 7.5 cents for melon,
the railroads got 12.7 cents for carry
ing 1t to Baltimore and the consumer
paid one dollar, leaving 1913 cents for
the service of marketing and its risks,
as against POP cents for growing and
transporting. The hard annals of
farm-life are replete with such COM
mentaries on the crudeness Of pres
ent practices.
Nature prescribes that the farmers
goods" must be finished within two
or three months of the year, while
financial and storage limitations gen
orally compel him to sell them at the
same time AS rule, other industries
are in continuous process of finish
ing goods for the markets; they dis
tribute as they produce, and they can
curtai production without too great
injury to themselves or the commu-
ullN Dul IL lue Iulllltf IcSlIlClS Ills
output, it is with diS- ~trous conse
ouences, both to himself and to the
community.
The average farmer is busy with
production for the major part of the
year, and has nothing to sell. The
bulk of his output comes on the mar
ket at once. Because of lack of stOr-
\ ,fG G,,a ai,1
the farmer cannot carry his goods
through the year and dispose of them
as they are currently needed. In the
great majority of cases, farmers have
to entrust storage-in warehouses and
elevators-and the financial carrying
of their products to others.
Farm products are generally mar
keted at time when there is con-
gestion of both transportation and
flnance-when cars and money are
scarce. The outcome, in many In
stances, Is that the farmers not only
sell under pressure, and therefore at
disadvantage, but are compelled to
take further reductions in net returns,
in order to meet the charges for the
service of storing, transporting, financ-
ing, and ultimate marketlng-which
charges they claim, are often exces-
sive, bear heavily on both consumer
and producer and are under the con.
troll of those performing the services.
II is true that they are relieved of
| the risks of a changing market by
selling at once but they are quite will
ing to take the unfavorable chance.
/ If the favorable one also is theirs and
they can retain for themselves part
/ of the service charges that are uni
form, in good years and bad, with
/ high prices and low.
While, In the main, the farmer must
sell. regardless of market conditions,
at the time of the maturity OF crops,
he cannot suspend production IN toto.
He must go on producing if he Is to go
on living. and if the world is to exist.
The most he can do is to curtall pro-
duction a little or alter its form, and
that-because he Is in the dark as TO
the probable demand for his goods
may be only to jump from the trying
pan into the fire, taking the consumer
with him.
Even the dairy farmers, whose out"
put is not seasonal, complain that they
find themselves at disadvantage I'D
the marketing of their productions
especially raw milk, because OF the
biqh COSTS Of distribution, which they