68 THE HIGH COST OF LIVING 



merely the economic function of distribution and 

 received a reasonable return for the service there 

 would be little objection; but they multiply them- 

 selves needlessly and exact speculative profits. To 

 such an extent have they discouraged the farmers 

 of New York that of the total food bill of the city, 

 amounting to $800,000;000 a year, only 5 per cent., 

 or S40,000,000, goes to the farmers of the State. 



The distributing middlemen are also so powerful 

 politically that the Department of Foods and Mar- 

 kets of New York State has never been able to 

 secure an adequate appropriation from the State 

 to make a real experiment in co-operative buying 

 and selling. In 1915 the department began market- 

 ing various kinds of food products in New York 

 City. It undertook the disposition of peaches of 

 which there was a particularly large crop that year. 

 An agreement was made with the Fruit Auction 

 Company, and substantial advances were secured 

 to the fanner and reductions to the consumer as 

 well. 



Deputy Hildebrand, in charge of the auction- 

 rooms established at Franklin Street by Commis- 

 sioner Dillon, says that the department is being 

 fought by raih'oads, by organized business interests 

 of certain kinds in this city, and by many other 

 people. In an interview he states: 



"The question of apples is always a serious one 

 in the fall. The average price paid the farmer is 



