The Meridian times. (Meridian, Idaho) 1909-1938, 1922-01-27

help them All of us want to get back
permanently to ''nornialey;" but is II
reasonable to hope for that condition
unless our greatest and most basic M
dustry can be put on a sound and solid
permanent foundation? The farmers
are nCr entitled 60 special privileges
nut are they not right III demanding
that they be placed on an equal foot
ing with the buyers of tileir products
and wirl other industries?
III
Let US, then, consider some of the
farmers grievances, and see how fan
they are real. In doing so, we should
remember that, while there have been
and still are, instances of purposefuf
abuse, the subject should not be up
preached with any general imputation
70 existing dtstributiye agencies az de
llberately Intentional oppression, but
rather with the conception that the
marketing of farm products has not
been modernized
An ancient evil, and 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 a higher. That this sort of
chicanery should persist on any im-
portant scale in these days of bust
ness integrity would seem almost in,
credible, bur there IS much evidence
that it does SO persist. Even as /
write, the newspapers announce tile
suspension of several firms from the
New York Produce Exchange for exs
porting to Germany as No ? wheat a
whole shipIoad Of grossly inferior wheat
mixed with oats, chaff and the like.
Another evil is that 81 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
weigh out" more than he weighs in. "
A greater grievance is that at pres
emf the field farmer has little or no
control over the time and conditions
of marketing his products, with the.
result that he is often underpafd for
his products and usually overcharged
for marketing service The differ
ence between what the farmer re.
ceiYes and what the consumer pays
often exceeds all possibility of just
tlcation. TO cite a single Illustration
Last year, according TO figures attest
ed by the railways ana the growers,
Georgia Observation-Disclosures received.
on the average 10 cents for melon,
the railroads got 1877. cents for carry
ing it to Baltimore and the consumer
paid one dollar, leaving 79S cents for
the service of marketing and its risks,
as against 20,2 cents for growing and
transporting. The hard annals Of.
farnl-life are replete with such com.
mentaI9es 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 a rule, other industries,
are in a continuous process of finish
ing goods for the markets they dis
tribute as they produce, and they can
curtail production without too great
injury to themselves or the coinn.l-
nifty hat II the farmer restricts his
output. ii is with disastrous conse.
quenees, both 10 himself aud 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 stora
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 entrusts storage in warehouses and.
elevators-and the financial carrying
of their products to others.
Farm products are generally mar.
Eeted at time when there is a con
sestion Of both transportation and
finance-when cars ana money are
seal .e The outcome, Ia mary In.
stastceS, is that the farmers not onty
sell under pressure, ana therefore at
q disadvantage, but are compelled TO
take further reductions in net returns,
in order to meet the charges. tor She
service of storing. transporting, linane,
Ing, and ultimate marketing-w
charges they claim, are often exces.
siye, bear heavily on both consumer
and producer, aud are under tie con.
troi Of those performing the services.