HINDBANCES 55 



farmers fix the minimum price for his pro- 

 duce. 



It is a sin and a shame to see thousands of bush- 

 els of apples lie rotting upon the ground, as the 

 author has seen them this year in the Middle West 

 for want of a market, when so many thousands 

 in our cities can not obtain them at a price which 

 they can afford to pay. And this very thing hap- 

 pens every year with some line of vegetable or 

 fruit. The fault lies in the methods of distribu- 

 tion and marketing, chiefly in the marketing. 

 Commission men, looking of course solely to their 

 own interests, are adverse to an over supply of 

 any one vegetable or fruit, so they maintain prices, 

 and take steps to prevent produce from reaching 

 the market in quantities. Much of this evil can 

 be eliminated by the establishment of markets 

 in all of our cities of any considerable size, under 

 the management and control of city authorities. 

 Cities assume jurisdiction over gas, light and 

 water companies, and the management and control 

 of those things that maintain health and relieve 

 disease and distress, and why not assume juris- 

 diction and control over those methods and devices 

 which will lead to a better distribution and market- 

 ing of food supplies by which all the people of our 

 cities may obtain food in ample amounts and at 

 a reasonable price 1 If such were done then when 

 there was a plethora of farm products, waste 

 would be eliminated, our people would have the 

 opportunity to be fed with food at reasonable 

 prices, and high prices would only prevail in cases 

 of a failure or partial failure of crops. 



I do not believe that cooperative grain com- 



