The Consnmers' Interest. 99 



may reasonably expect, with greater attention to more 

 economic production, that the industry will hold its own, 

 and improve as time goes on. 



When we consider other branches of farming we do not 

 find the same pessimistic outlook among those engaged 

 in the industry. Home production in meat and milk has 

 many advantages and is able to hold its OAvn, as was proved 

 during the depression. Foreign competition has been most 

 severe in butter, cheese, eggs and bacon, largely because 

 we neglected these commodities and left the market to 

 competitors who had no natural advantage. There is no 

 reason why we should not improve greatly on the productive 

 side in these commodities and so do something to win back 

 our own markets. 



Markets and Middlemen. 



It is not merely on the productive side that we fail. On 

 the distributive side the industry suffers grievously. 

 There is no organisation to enable the industry to market 

 its products economically. Instead we have an absolute 

 riot of dealers and middlemen few of whom perform any 

 real service to the community for the addition they make 

 to the retail prices of the commodities. They exploit the 

 unorganised market for their own gain with the result that 

 both producers and consumers suffer from their activities. 

 Efforts have been made by the different agricultural 

 organisation societies to^ establish more economical 

 methods but with little effect on the whole market although 

 in certain commodities and in definite districts they have 

 proved how wasteful the old methods are. 



