The Kennewick courier-reporter. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1914-1938, 1934-11-01
,uIH,DROW SAYS
scpIJD CODE WAS.
SAVING FACTOR
c.,retary of Code Committee
Reports on Conditions Fac
no Marketing of Crop; Re-
eommends Changes

y
NOD in this issue from the Po-
IT, Code administrative board, w.
I Muldrow, who acted as secre-
y ~ z submits the following ex-
.i.y,stion of the boards actions.
4, roes into detail with the trou-
e experienced by the board and
'sevs growers the angles of the
~rketing problems which faced
4 board in it's effort to maintain
stop-loss price on potatoes.
n connection with the report of
ae Early Potato Code Committee,
a. writer, who was member and
@retary Of that committee, de-
ires to offer some further COM
nent upon the code operations and
Is results.
During the eight weeks of this
,peration some 760 cars of pota-
hes went to market. Less than
hF Of them were taken by the
MARKETS of this state. The bal
nee, some 400 cars, had to be
usrketed in the only outside ter
rtorv within our reach-the mid
vest territory within Minneapolis
nd st. Paul, and at prices fixed
| By competition with other districts.
ID to the first days of July, North
Crolina its 10000 car crop, often
600 cars per day and hardly get
ting the freight out of them.
North Carolina and other Southern
| districts cleaned up and the sup
ply reaching the midwest became
low enough to raise prices to SIT,
then S18, fob. here. This lasted
until July 18th. During one week
1850 cars of spuds rolled East. Dur
| ing the next week none. There
we're no orders from back there, at
code prices. Other districts were
now digging, and shipping into
hat territory at prices that meant
about a $14 level for us. The deal
stood still for three weeks except
h the state market. There the
code was holding up a SIT fob.
price. We knew we had a hundred
sears more of Cobblers than that
state market could possibly eat.
Yet nobody would sell theirs East
for S14 or so. Everybody held on,
hoping to get into this SIT mar
ket, with a swarm of the smaller
fry nibbling around the edges, try
mR to get in by chiseling a dollar
or two under the code price. The
great bulk of the crop movement
that going through the regular es-
hblished dealers, went at code
prices. Car-lot consignment was
Entirely stopped. The chiselling
came from the truck group, small
lalers, growers trucks and for
hire trucks carrying growers spuds
"a new crop of them every few
days. They used code stamps ano
damned to be selling at code prices
q better. Doubtless they tried to
| But they rushed into market al
nays glutted and usually failed tt
. ind q sale for their load at the
ode price. Toward the end OF the
Ay the load got hot and they trlet
d move it by cutting the price tt
pme grocery. If they failed tt
place the stuff, they left it with
pme dealer to be sold, on conslgnl,
rent. It would have taken SINAI
umy of inspectors to follow al
tAese deals, and the potato code dlt
lot have that kind of money Il
pend even if it would have beef
vorth what it cost.
The buyers and shippers at this
nd generally supported the code
though it took some work to hoit
hem in line. They like to see hlgi
Prices, for it is easier for them K
make money when the grower i
! nakinp money. The dealers a
he market and generally, Tough
Ae code hard, as it largely cut on
heir easiest money, the consign
nent stuff which they can Away
I'll by cutting the price and taxi
heir commission, regardless o
THAT is left for the grower.
The code organization had
manager, Mr.. B. K. Gage, q yer!
apable, energetic and experienced
man. There was an office girl, a
there was much correspondence an
the manager had often to be on tn
mad. There was an Inspector on tn
Seattle road and a part OF the tim
On the Spokane road, to check trucl
movement. A man was stationed q
SEATTLE, very active and capabi
man named Watkins, who works
overtime to cover Tacoma and tn
other Sound cites as best he could
Several men could have been KEEP
busy there, if there had been none,
70 spend. Other men at variou
dmes were sent to various place
where trouble cropped up. Cod
/ stamps had to be kept at man
points where users could get them
The horticultural inspectors COOP
Grated all they could without cos
to the code.
When a growers letter went GU
4 twas mailed to over 400 growers
4 When price change was made
1 ktters had to go out to Ito buy
ers, inspectors, newspapers, etc
/ all concerned in this potato deal.
4 Such was the organization, tn
] Simplest and best the commute
] felt they could set up with tn
honey they felt the growers Wel
4 Wiling to spend. The experlene
proves that, given a surplus it
tie state market, the higher TT
state price is lifted above the on
1de, the greater pressure from Il