Payette enterprise. (Payette, Canyon Co., Idaho) 1909-1935, 1923-12-20
ABOUT THE
PRUNE MARKET

What was the matter with the
1923 prune market? 1t was too
Full OF Prunes. Not withstanding
the fine spun theories of those who
would camoflage a condition That
they would like to preserve, the
real, actual cause Of the Tragedy
Prune or the Prune Tragedy was,
Too Many Prunes. There were
other things that tended to aggra-
yate the situation, not the least of
which was the VAIN Boosting" of
the booster" about the tremendous
crop of prunes to be marketed There
was in fact, a large crop OF prunes,
but it was magnified about three
times by the blowing Of the wind
Bags who styled themselves opti-
mists. II 1t were possible to muzzle
this undesirable class of citizens the
markets of the world would proceed
on a more even keel. For fifty con-
secutive years l have seen the news
papers teeming with reports of
bumper crops of every kind and
description. This thing occurs
whether crops are good, bad or indif-
ferent, and 1t always has depress-
ing effect on the market at harvest
time and of course hits hardest the
fellow who has to dispose of his pro-
duce at once, in order to meet the
demands of creditors; 80 it amounts
to clubbing the weak.
Optimists indeed! I would rather
be a scavenger and clean vaults at
midnight than be instrumental in
Fleeing the weak.
For fifty years to my personal
knowledge It has been the unvary-
ing rule for creditors to force col
| lections from the farmer right at
harvest time. Then they talk
leartedly of Orderly marketing
What kind Of orderly marketing
can you expect with great Giant"
of creditor standing over you with
club and Threatening to knock you
to hell in a minute If you don't
Come Across?"
Another thing that mitigated
against the prune market this year
was the immense crop of cherries and
berries and plums and other fruit
capable of taking the place of the
prunes. Plums, especially came in
to direct competition with our
prunes and with the lower trans
portation charges on them they were
able to put our "Blue Plums' or
prunes out of the running. These
conditions will not occur every year
but they will occur at intervals in the
future as they have in the past
When they do happen, the remedy
is Grin and Bear IT,, the passage
of scripture that was so comforting
to the widow when she lost her hus-
band. In the meantime let's take
phat precaution we may to keep off
the rocks till some marketing scheme
can be worked out that will stabilize
the price Of farm produce. Cows,
pigs and poultry make good shock
absorbers; better put them on, but
don't depend too much on them for
they won't prevent collisions and
they won't keep you from drowning
II yea turn out to let bridge go
by.
Finally, the solution of the entire
problem Is to be sought in such a
diTerI fication of industry as will
keep production and consumption in
balance, that solution can hardly be
made by individual effort; 1t must
be done comparatively, and 1 believe
it ought to be undertaken by the
government. 1t is a question of
adjustment; not question of "Hog
| it all". The consumer has an in
terest in this marketing problem and
as the consumer is the majority, l
think the producer will be wise to
consult him before any force feed
| is attached
The next meeting of the Payette
Grange will occur, Tues, Jan. Sth
Coming right after the struggle with
the tax collector, 1t will be good
time to discuss ways and means to
procure more just distribution of
the tax burden. The new officers
are to be installed that night, also.
The meeting will be just as interest
ing as we make it. The meeting to
be held Jan. 22nd, will probably be
devoted to a study of the poultry
business. Farmers, you have got
to solve these problems. You have
more time to study them now than
you will have next summer. II you
have never Joined the grange, do it'll
now. This is your business; it is
your load; help carry it.
II you are a member of the
grange don't shrink; get your should
er to the wheel. Let's Go!
n NY