WHOLESALE DISTEIBUTIOIST OF FRUITS AND VEGETABLES. 19 



is effected according- to the commission man's own ideas, and that the 

 shipper's returns are in direct proportion to the dealer's honesty and 

 ability, all tend to encourage a suspicious attitude on the part of the 

 producer. It is not because commission men as a class have proven 

 to be dishonest, but the very fact that the commission man has great 

 opportunities for dishonesty, if he chooses to avail himself of them, 

 has caused shippers to condemn unhesitatingly any practices which 

 did not appear to be perfectly plain. 



A shipper is seldom able to inspect his own output with an un- 

 prejudiced eye. The car which he is shipping usually appears better 

 to him than does his neighbor's offering. The buyers with whom the 

 commission merchant must deal, however, have no such biased view- 

 point. The shipper's goods are compared critically with competing 

 offerings from many sections and quality and pack are the sole de- 

 ciding factors which determine relative values. Often, therefore, 

 the shipper who considers his goods on a par with the best market 

 offerings is disappointed when returns are below the figures listed 

 on current wholesale quotations. The dealer, who may have exerted 

 every effort on behalf of his shipper, is then accused of dishonesty 

 in that returns were not up to expectations. 



Often, too, perishables which leave the point of origin in first- 

 class shape arrive at destination in a greatly deteriorated condition, 

 must be repacked or regraded by the commission men, and finally 

 sold at a considerable loss to the shipper. The grower, who last saw 

 his produce in first-class marketable condition, does not understand 

 or appreciate the conditions which were responsible for this loss. 



In general, it may be said that a large part of the stigma which 

 attaches to the business of the commission merchant arises directly 

 from the difficult position which this middleman occupies in dis- 

 tributive machinery. 



PLACE OF Till: COMMISSION MERCHANT IN DISTRIBUTION 



Commission houses offer almost the only good outlet for unstand- 

 ardized goods which can not be sold direct to the wholesale trade. 

 Acting as primary receivers of less than car-lot shipments, the} 7 serve 

 :i- ;i medium through which to market all goods which can not be 

 sold direct to car-lot wholesalers, and, when honest and efficient, they 

 offer t<> inexperienced shippers (he valuable services of trained mar- 

 ket experts in disposing of (heir produce. 



JOUBKKS' SAI.KS. 



Next in importance t" car-lol wholesalers on large markets is (he 

 jobbing trade. Jobbers are middlemen a( distributing'centers who 

 usually buy in Less-car-loi quantities from car-lot wholesalers or 



