19 



any way of getting any information. It seems to me some- 

 thing of this kind would be good, — an information bureau. I 

 know, as a member of the Worcester Market Gardeners, we 

 tried to get something of this sort last year, but could not fi- 

 nance it. As a matter of fact, we grow our stock and take it 

 in to the commission houses. From the majority or most of 

 them we try to get a line as to what the stuff is bringing. They 

 say they are trying to get such and such a price; some get it, 

 some don't. There seems to be a good deal of competition 

 among the wholesalers dickering with our stuff at our expense. 

 If in some way they could keep the price up where it belongs, 

 so we could derive benefit, it would be well. 



Mr. Wheeler. Isn't there, Mr. Selby, quite a danger that 

 unless this Market News is disseminated from one point, — 

 isn't there danger, say, if the news goes out in the morning 

 that Worcester is short of a certain article, that every farmer 

 in the section would ship into Worcester and ^oil the market 

 there; therefore, would it not be much better if the news 

 wasn't made too general, but that the central point be made to 

 reach a group of farmers near enough to Worcester to take care 

 of that place; reach Springfield, and take care of that place, 

 rather than spread this around so there is no definite control of 

 shipments. 



Mr. Selby. That is some of the work that was before the 

 agent in Providence and other cities this past season. They 

 found that Boston would be paying a high price for a certain 

 article or articles, and the tendency would be to rush there. 

 Of course, Boston could stand quite a good volume. 



That brings in one point I failed to mention before, — that 

 the Market News Service tells the volume that is in transit to 

 any particular market. The reports that I have in my pocket 

 show how many cars of potatoes are moving from the other 

 sections into Boston and the other cities of the country. In 

 the same way, reports could be secured from the railroad, tell- 

 ing what volume was on the way into Worcester. Of course, 

 your motor trucks overcome a portion of that too. It puts the 

 responsibility for that important feature largely on the local 

 agent, so that he will not induce too many of them to ship to 

 some point, but rather those who inquire the earliest. 



