FROM PRODUCER TO CONSUMER 163 



men, and exchanges to reduce the return to the 

 farmer and increase it to the retailer. The public 

 auctioneer should be licensed by the State. He 

 should be under the supervision of the department 

 of markets and should be compelled to give a 

 surety bond for the honest fulfilment of his duties. 

 Or the auctioneer could be a State official, and the 

 expense of his office could be borne by a small com- 

 mission on sales, as has been done in New York. 



Such a warehouse and selling agency under State 

 control is urged by Commissioner Dillon of New 

 York. By this plan all of the middlemen will be cut 

 out and there will be substituted a public agency 

 which will receive the produce of the farmer at sta- 

 tions throughout the State, which will give the farmer 

 credit for what he brings in to the shipping station, 

 and then ship the combined deliveries to the city 

 in car-load lots and effect a substantial saving in 

 freight rates. And in order to cut out the middle- 

 men he would have the State or city erect a $3,000,- 

 000 terminal warehouse and wholesale food market, 

 conveniently located in the city, to which the prod- 

 uce could be shipped. In connection with the 

 warehouse he would establish three co-operative 

 stores, located in different parts of New York City, 

 to which retailers and consmners could go and pur- 

 chase food directly from the farmer through the 

 department of markets. Into the terminal the 

 railroads would bring the produce from the agencies 



