286 THE FARMER AND THE NEW DAY 



purpose. Furthermore, such standards, with a suitable degree 

 of supervision of their application, will result in returning to the 

 producer the value of the particular qualities he produces, thus 

 encouraging adequate production in the future. This is of 

 special importance in connection with the perishable crops, but 

 applies with almost equal force to the staples. 



The Secretary of Agriculture should be authorized by law to 

 license warehouses, packing plants, mills, cold storages, produce 

 exchanges, cooperative and other shipping associations, commis- 

 sion merchants, auctioneers, brokers, jobbers, wholesale dis- 

 tributors, and other individuals, partnerships, associations, and 

 corporations engaged in the business of marketing and distribut- 

 ing farm and food products. When directed by the President, 

 the Secretary should have power, after advising with the Coun- 

 cil of National Defense as to the necessity of such a step, to 

 take over and operate such of these businesses as may be war- 

 ranted, in a manner similar to receivership. 



In order to facilitate the solution of transportation problems, 

 government agencies should do all in their power to bring about 

 a relatively adequate supply of cars for moving food and other 

 necessities. 



Communities, counties, and cities should be urged to take 

 steps that will lead toward a larger degree of local and district 

 self-support, especially in perishable products, by making inven- 

 tories of food needs and surveys of neighboring possibilities of 

 production and in general by closer cooperation of the local con- 

 suming and producing interests and by the provision of local 

 marketing facilities. 



PRICE PUBLICITY 



To bring about a greater equality of distribution considering 

 the consumptive demands of population centers, the market in- 

 formation facilities of the United States Department of Agri- 

 culture and the several state departments should be extended 

 and made as effective as possible. It should include the publish- 

 ing, as widely as possible for the information of producers and 

 consumers of farm products, of average prices of foods, feeds, 



