Milford chronicle., 1922-01-20

and with other industries?
II
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 purpOsefuI
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 modernized.
An ancient evil, and a persistent
one, is the undergradlng Of farm prod
acts, 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 bust
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, chair and the like.
Another evil is that of inaccurate
Weighing Of farm products, which, It
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
'Or marketing service. The differ
ence between what the farmer re-
.eives and what the consumer pays
'ften exceeds all possibility of justi-
lcatlOn. To cite a single Illustration.
last year, according to figures attest
d by the railways and the growers,
ieOrgla watermelon-raiser received
n the average rs cents for a melon,
he railroads got 1871 cents for carry
ng 1t to Baltimore and the consumer
aid one dollar, leaving 1913 cents for
he service Of marketing and its risks,
s against 202 cents for growing and
The hard annals of
are replete with such com.
lentaries on the crudeness of pres {
Mt practices.
Nature prescribes that the farmers
goods" must be finished within two |
three months Of the year, while
lancial and storage limitations gen.
ally compel him to sell them at the =
me time. AS a rule, other industries
e in a continuous process of finish =
g goods for the markets; they dis =
lbute as they produce, and they can =
rtail production without too great
jury to themselves or the commu-
ty; but If the farmer restricts his u
tput, 1t is with disastrous conse- G
ences, both to himself and to the =
a
The average farmer Is busy with !
oduction for the major part Of the = =
ar, and has nothing to sell. The %
TX Of his output comes on the mar
at once. Because Of lack Of stor- y
e facilities and Of financial support. {,
; farmer cannot carry his goods -
'ough the year and dispose Of them y y
they are currently needed. In the y
'at majority Of cases, farmers have y
entrust stOrage-in warehouses and ~
vators-and the financial carrying -
their products to others. %
Farm products are generally mar "
ed at a time when there is a con- er
tion Of both transportation and In
lnce-when cars and money are de
rec. The outcome, in many in al
noes, Is that the farmers not only to
under pressure, and therefore at po
disadvantage, but are compelled to fr'
e further reductions in net returns. &c
order to meet the charges for the to
vice Of storing, transporting, financ- bu
and ultimate marketlng-which es!
rges they claim, are often exces- erl
!, bear heavily on both consumer fal
producer, and are under the con- WI
Of those performing the services. stf
Is true that they are relieved Of on
risks of a changing market by fal
Ing at once bur thew NSe luite will to
to take the unfavorable chance. Inc
le favorable one also is theirs ana col
can retain for themselves a part ute
he service charges that are uni to
!, in good years and bad, with tne
prices and>lOw. laV
lille, in the main, the farmer must pal
regardless Of market conditions, SIG
he time Of the maturity Of crops. Wn
annOt suspend production In toto. \
must go on producing if he Is to 90 the
wing, and If the world is to exist. me-
most he can do is to curtall pro- anG
Ion little or alter its form, and ing
because he is in the dark as to a
probable demand for his goods gen
be only to jump from the frying the
into the fire, taking the consumer tina
him. OF
en- the dairy farmers, whose out tar
s not seasonal, complain that they me'
themselves at a disadvantage ln tnr
marketing of their productions. the
,ially raw milk, because Of the Tor
costs Of distribution, which they. and
ultimately bear.