The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1922-01-20

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/ if for no higher motive, we should
help them All of us want to get bacG
permanently to "normalcy;" but is II
reasonable to hope for that condition
unless our greatest and most basic in
duStry can he put on sound and solid
permanent foundation? The farmers
are not entitled to special privileges
but are they not right in demanding
that they he 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 diSlributive agencies of de-
liberately intentional oppression, but
rather with the conception that the
been mOderniZed.
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
chicanery should persist on any i'm
l., IN, Of MI
ness integrity would seem almost in
credible, but there is much evidence
that it 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. > wheat a
whole Shpload of grossly inferior whea!
mixed with oats, chaff and the like.
Another evil is that of inaccurate
weighing of farm products, which, it
is charged, is sometimes matter of
dishonest intention and sometimes of
protective policy on the part of the
local buyer, who fears that he may
\ greater grievance is that ut 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 undcrpaid for
his productS and usually oVCrcharged
Tor marketing service. The differ
ccivcS and what the consumer pays
often exceeds all possibility of iuSti-
iication. To cite Il single illustration
Last year, according to figures attest
ed hy the railways and the growers.
Georgia -raiSerS received
on the average - cents for melon,
The railroads got l2.1 cents for carry
ing it 10 Baltimore and the consumer
paid one dollar, leaving % s cents for
the service of marketing and its risks,
rs against 2O2 cents for growing and
transporting. The hard annals of
farm-liGe are rcplete with such com
mcntaricS on the crudcncss Of pres
cnt practices.
Nature preScrIbcS that the farmers
goods must he 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 Il continuous process of finish
ing goods for the markets: they dis
tribute as they produce, and they can
curtail production without too great
injury Ia themselves or the Commu-
nifty; but If the farmer restricts his
output, 1t is with disastrous cOnSe-
quences, 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 ut once. Because of lack of stor-
age facilities and of financial support,
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 carving
of their products to others
Farm products are generally mar
keted at time when there is a con-
gestion of both transportation and
tinance-when cars and money are
scarce. The outcome, In many in
stances, is that the farmers not only
sell under pressure, and therefore at
a 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 marketing-which
charges they claim, are often Excess
sive, bear heavily on both consumer
and producer. and are under the con.
troll Of those performing the services.
1t is true that they are relieved of
the risks of changing market BY
selling at once but they are quite will