Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-10-19
FRUITS AND VEGETABLES
What 1t Costs to Bring Them 10 Our
Doors--Commission Men Complete
Nationwide Survey Little
Profit in the Business Shown
BY GEORGE NON Mccain
EARL G. STEWART. of this city. is

4
L'AR1 G. STEWART. of this city. is vice
IL president of the National League Of
! Commission Merchants
II is one of three great fruit and vegetable
! organizations that practically control the
wholesale trade Of the United States.
! They are the Western Fruit .Jobbers' As.
! so"iatior. tho National League Of Commits.
! sion Merchants and tine International Apple
| Shippers Association.
| Every leading commission merchant in the
| nitcd states is. directly or indirectly. ron
| nnctcd with one or the Other Of these or
! ganzationS.
| 4 joint council Of them has Just completed
| country -Wid" survey Of the wholesale dis.
! trihution Of fruits and vegetables
! It was mHdo by r. q. Phillips and Samuel
| Fraser. experts
They moh" remarkable showing
! IN addition 10 which they disabuse tho
! public mind about some rrcconccived notions
ms to wholesalers profit in the business.
Mn. STEWART says that tn" survey is
A'1 ais" protest against vilih"atiou.
It's purpose i to sct the commission
| merchants of tho United States in the right
! light before the consumer.
This term commission merchant is fire.
Puen'lr used irdis"riminately, as the experts
I point out. 'n apply 10 the commission
I merchant i"hbor and wholesale distributor
/ generally
Tho survey was equally intended 70 prove
'hat III" commission merchant Is tn" tndi-
vidun who j. frequently ground between the
upper aud neither mill stones of railroad
rates and IL" shipper Of the produce
Whenever the worst is handed ont the
Wholesaler ! usually on hand TO receive it.
LNARI. STEWART and Charles 4. Muchl-
IL bronncr. Of Pitt ehurgh arc also members
"f III" Advisory Board Of the National
League "f Commission Merchants
InoE with hundreds Of other rppUtahlp
business mon object I" being designated rs
''pirati"al" and tho most rom"rscless prof.
t"erS in this country.
THESE tcrIns are quoted in tho survey as
tnkcn from an editorial in tho Railway Age.
Pages of tn" survey are devoted TO eX-
'"ipts from attacks made on wholesale dis
tributorS by railroad officers.
Th" experts com" back at tn" railroad
people with both fists.
''A~ Il result Of these attacks eaY the
experts. speaking for tho commission
merchants of Ia" United States. 'distrus'
has. h"cn rr"a'od. injustice" COM. CO.
OPERATION and und"rS'and.ng prevented and
marketing .uiHr"d.'
rTIIlS study # the fruit and vegetable
l. SITUATION. or survey, is Of interest to
every family
To any person who huys quart"r peck
OF apples. hln"h Of celprr n Georgia
watermelon "r fvc- pound basket Of York
Stat" grapes.
When yoY tiNi>h reading the findings Of
'h">" exports. " no We're unr"Stri"t"d in their
r">carch"S and Investigations. You ar" COM
peeled to ;i"knOWledCc tina, the wholesale
frUit and v"g"Jun," commission merchant has
troubles Of his own. 10 say nothing OF losses.
THE citioS'rov"r"a are Philadelphia. Pitts
hnrgh. Iio>t"r. Chicago and New York.
tn" surv"' cN,hrH"oS among other things
!'Ii cars Distributed over Il period of ton
months from September. 1920. to July. 1911
" these GiI4 ears were handled on COM
mission.
Those who fancy that commission
mNrru"nl" reap "norrn"Us profits from
handling traits and vegetables will read the
folio" irc showing with interest
Tn" Gl:1 Gers sold in the wholesale mar.
kct> for $G.H7N.1 -.
The commission U"rchantS' gross commits
~ions W"r" S44l%>l or G."7 per cent Of the
-Alr price.
Thor overhead or cost Of doing business
Wh> S3Gg.:iOI or 10 per cent.
This did not inrud" intrrc>i ON capital
invested -" >alari"s "f EXECUTIVES.
Without .rsa"tins this the net prof, was
&N1.A,i or ! rs per cent on the sales price,
T WoNDER if III" ultimate consumer. who
/ buy from the retail merchant. ever con-
.MorS H." vast amount Of detail. charges.
costs and ioy thnt li"S behind his one pur-
r..H>c nf Vegetables and fruits:
Charges on tn" G4Ti cars, including all
fa"t"r~ wcr" S@.4iN."%H, an average "f
S;S"i.HU per car,
The freight and express charges amounted
to %,.349 +'i9. an average of S','j2 IS per car
TRANSPORTATION lax alOn" amounted To-
%lOI,9G9.
Tho Hi,"> Of those purchased and con.
signed t"tMnd $ln5l4. JOS, an average Of
81 iO1.N u"r 'nr.
Now what Gtu lAc miscellaneous handling
Of his enormous amount of f""dSinlfs
handled bi commission men cost:
Storage. rartHge, unloading costs, rorondi-
tuning Of gu"l> ON arrival. r"packing re-
cuuDr!ing. lnntiug costs (which inc'ud" >trip-
ping. hrHrug. "l".). Government inspection.
weighing. Containers and other costs Of
handling made an average Of Si".2S per car
The Wholesalers gross profit was $50. l3
per car.
Operating cost 70 the commission men was
IN average Of $IS.NT per car.
In IL" division Of the dollar of N" total
sales :i..TH per cent went for freight and
"Arrc~s, which the railroads got
The shipper r"reived 80. g. per cont, in
Guiding per cent for taN. making q to>Al Of
~ Al per cent, which the carriers and snp.
lcr~ rt"rciV"G.
Miscellaneous handling cost { A. rer cent
leaving . ha,Hure Of BIG r"r cent l." rhc
WholrsnIr handler to meet operating OK prn<es
Amounting to 81 per cent.
It wa. an ont of pOcket trauSari ION
Tho shipper and the railroads dIvidod the
melon.
rTllE greatest losses. according 10 th" OK