60 THE BUSINESS OF FAEMING 



many reports of "overstocked markets" and other 

 excuses, that the worm turned and struck back. 

 Investigation disclosed that the journey of the 

 produce from garden to consumer passed through 

 from three to seven intermediaries. That these 

 alleged commission men bought directly for their 

 own account, thus not only violating the laws of 

 agency, but of honesty and common decency. 

 They went further into the filth of dishonesty and 

 sold the produce to fictitious firms, even to their 

 own wives and children. It was found that these 

 men by these methods, without a dollar of capital 

 invested, were able to roll along the Kiverside 

 Drive in fine motor cars and sail up the Hudson in 

 luxuriously furnished yachts, while the Long 

 Island produce was being grown by the producers 

 at an actual loss. Do you wonder then, that these 

 Long Island producers, when they became wise, de- 

 vised the "Long Island Home Hamper " scheme, 

 by which their produce was brought to the kitchens 

 of the consumer, and at a fine profit to themselves, 

 and at a big saving to the consumer! Mr. Dis- 

 honest Commission Man was left to reflect amid 

 the ashes of his wrecked illegitimate business upon 

 the old time maxim "Honesty is the best policy." 

 A similar condition as to dishonest commission 

 men and ruinous prices and robbery of the pro- 

 ducer has obtained in nearly every city of our land. 

 And if honest commission men and merchants do 

 not quickly take drastic measures to eliminate 

 these conditions from their ranks, and establish 

 those methods by which producers will obtain for 

 their produce the living price, and the consumer 

 can buy it at prices that ought to obtain under 



