The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1922-09-22

to normally, what we need is just
to get up to it. What we have to
sell is at a prewar level. in many
instances below. The manufactured
goods we buy are produced on prac-
tically war wages, carried on r.
r. at war freight rates and retailed
to us at profit above prewar level.
Add to all that our labor costs are
SO to 1907 above prewar level.
Is it any wonder, as Congressman
Upshaw said at Calvert, we see red
in our ledger.
The American workingman is or
ganized to the teeth and puts up the
cry for living wage. True, some
classes of labor have taken cut in
wages but that cut is very small
compared to their raise. The coal
miner has sacrificed Az 20 pay but
he goes back to work at the same
old pay and we the innocent public
will pay the cost of that strike and
their war time pay in the form of
high priced coal for some time to
come.
As against that look at the farm
er today. Over in South Jersey the
greatest truck region of the East,
farmers are allowing thousands OF
baskets of fruit and vegetables to go
to waste because they can't get cost
production, yes worse than that by
far, because they can't get enough
to pay for harvesting and sending
to market. Yet the housewife is
still paying a more than fair price.
Here at home our hay and wheat
market is demoralized at present.
There is certainly something radi-
cally wrong some place. in our pres
ent system of marketing and won't
place all the blame on the middle
man either. We farmers are to
blame some too. Whenever we
push more goods on the market
than it will absorb there is break
in price. Now you notice the
manufacturers don't throw their
Goods on the open market. They
feed theirs out just as the market
demands at a cost of production
plus a profit. Whenever they get
a surplus of stock on hand they
curtailx production for period.
True, the farmer can't do that way.
His is seasoned occupation, to
strike would be for a season. He
can cut his acreage on one crop but
that only makes bulge on another
crop and in short time is no better
off. But one thing high priced land
with low priced products is going to
do, it will drive men from farming
into the industries till the indus
tries will be over manned and wages
will fall or men will be limited to
part time work. Then farm pro-
duction will be >curtailed, our costs
lessened and better prices realized
But to make farming pay as other
business we must work out some
way to get greater part OF the
consumers dollar and get more for
our dollars when we buy our sup
plies.
Right here / think we can take
some valuable lessons from the big
corporations. You see every few
weeks where companies are merging
or combining. Why it is not always
that they can control commodity
and raise the price. But to cut
instead of each concern
maintaining separate selling and
buying agency one group will do
business for all. Besides combined
their purchasing power is much
greater. We have good example
right here at home in the Silver
corn and tomato canneries, also the
American Stores Co., and Sharpless
Now when the Silver
group of canneries and the Ameri-
can Stores go in the market for sup
plies each individual store or can
merry don't do their own buying but
a central buying agency buys for all
and it is needless to say they obtain
the little fellow can't
get. And If you will make inquiry
you will find the small Gamer, the
small creamery man are disappear