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South. While this is of no direct concern to you, yet you must but feel 

 a sympathetic interest in this important subject. Seventy-five million 

 dollars are wasted to the farmers of the South through the want of improved 

 market advantages. I might say here that we ought to raise the standard 

 of warfare against waste- — waste in private affairs as well as waste in public 

 affairs. This standard should not be lowered until this warfare concludes 

 in complete conquest, in complete triumph. Waste is uncivilized. It 

 must be eliminated before we attain the highest standard of civilization. 



Now, the farm products of the United States aggregate more than 

 nine billions annually. Perhaps a third of this is retained upon the farm 

 for domestic consumption, and something more than six billions are mar- 

 keted annually by the farmer. The farm products bring the producer 

 about six billion dollars annually, but when these products are retailed 

 to the consumer, they bring thirteen billions of dollars. There is a spread 

 of seven biUion between the price received by the producer and the price 

 paid by the consumer. 



Now, it is impossible to believe that there is not much of waste, much 

 of needless profits in this vast amount of seven billion dollars. This 

 waste is due largely to the want of marketing advantages, marketing facili- 

 ties, to the want of centralized intelligence, to the want in one locality 

 of the supplies available in other localities. 



The problem of the high cost of living must receive at least a part 

 of its solution in this quarter. The producer could easily receive two 

 bilHons more, and the consumer could easily pay two bilHons less and both 

 would be vastly benefited, and yet there would be a spread of three or four 

 billions to pay for the ultimate requirements of exchange and distribution. 

 Of course, these estimates of figures are generalities, but they point the 

 problem, the place where the solution must in part be applied. 



I am pleased to report to you that when the agricultural appropriation 

 bill was passed in March last the Senate attached an amendment, creating 

 a market bureau in the Agricultural Department. In conference we were 

 obliged to surrender that section, but we retained an appropriation of 

 $50,000 to enable the department to make a study of marketing conditions 

 and facilities in Europe and in different sections of this country. Dr. 

 Carver, formerly of Harvard University, and perhaps the highest authority 

 upon agricultural economics, in this country, has been placed in charge 

 of this work. He recently visited Europe, and the country will at an 

 early date begin to realize the fruits of his researches and investigation.* 



The appropriation bill, passed during the present session, will increase 

 the amount from $50,000 to $150,000 and possibly $200,000. There is 

 no economy in closing our eyes against the light; ignorance has no advan- 

 tages, but enlightenment has infinite advantages. We must lay our hands 

 to the solution of this problem, and whatever waste exists, if any, in our 

 present marketing conditions, must be eliminated. The advantages 



*The Bureau of Markets has since been organized and is in active operation. 

 Dr. Brand is chief of the Bureau. 



