Tht RURAL NEW-YORKER 
1373 k. 
The Dairy Situation is Critical 
I NFORMATION comes from olllcers of the old 
Dairy in on's League that the annual meeting will 
he held in New Jersey next month to comply with 
the provisions of the charter and preserve the organ¬ 
ization, which has been inactive during the year. 
The information is that no delegates will he appointed, 
and no general meeting held, except a technical 
meeting of individual stockholders with such proxies 
as may he entrusted to them for the purpose of 
holding a legal annual meeting for the election of 
directors. 
From other sources comes the information that an 
attempt will he made to revive the League and to 
renew its functions by those who are not. satisfied 
with the associations now active in the territory. 
The information is that local meetings have been 
held and delegates elected to attend the annual meet¬ 
ing for this purpose. This would indicate a contest 
for the control of an organization that has already 
been scrapped. Just why there should be a contro¬ 
versy for the control of this organization is not ap¬ 
parent. 
There are now live general dairy organizations in 
this State for the sale of milk: The Dairymen’s 
League, the Pooling Association, the Non-poolers 
Association, the Eastern States Milk Producers, and 
the association of producers who sell direct to Shef¬ 
field Farms. None of them is organized or operated 
on approved co-operative lines. The League is a 
New Jersey capital stock corporation. At the first 
annual meeting in 1010 the members ordered that it 
h<> organized on co-operative lines, hut the manage¬ 
ment defeated the purpose, and it was never organ¬ 
ized or operated co-operatively. The Eastern States 
Milk Producers comes nearer to co-operative form 
than any of the others, hut it has not as yet been 
fully developed. It. is. however, working on the 
approved co-operative principle of local incorporated 
plants, locally owned, operated and controlled by tlie 
dairymen who produce milk in the adjacent terri¬ 
tory. The other organizations are all on the state¬ 
wide membership plan, with centralized control m 
the management. This form of organization has 
never been successful iu farm work. 
it would be unfortunate now to waste time and 
energy in a contest for the control of this discarded 
organization. At best it could show only the com¬ 
parative persistence and energy ot the two sides in 
soliciting proxies, and proxies should never be per¬ 
mitted in a farm organization. That the dairy situ¬ 
ation is more or less critical is testified to from all 
quarters. It is evident that something must be done 
to unify tlie thought and action of dairymen. Dis¬ 
putes over control and increasing the number of 
organizations get us nowhere. The rank and file of 
working dairymen don't eare who controls the or¬ 
ganization so long as members are treated alike, and 
a reasonable price is received for (be milk. This can 
best be accomplished through one organization no 
subsidiaries of any kind or nature. 
If a dozen of tlie broad-view dairymen represent¬ 
ing the different views, and prejudiced by no am¬ 
bition for position or personal gain, should gt*r to¬ 
gether in conference, a way would be soon found to 
reorganize the dairy imlitstry in a single association 
on lines that would include all and serve all. Such a 
conference is the need of the present hour. It has 
already been suggested by different dairymen. It 
comes properly from them. By all means, let its get 
together and work out a unified plan of organization 
for the dairy industry. 
Meeting of Non-Pooling Dairymen 
U TICA. N. V.—The Non-poolers' Dairymen’s Co¬ 
operative Association held I heir first aunu tl 
meeting here on November 0. Ralph C. Raldwin of 
Cuyler was chosen as chairman of the meeting. The 
looms at the headquarters were crowded to the 
(h.ors, but the votes for dim*tors were by ballot, and 
most of them came through the mail, so that each 
member bad a vote whether he was able to attend 
the meeting or not. 
President Rhodes' report showed a steady growth 
of the organization during the year. It confers with 
a committee of the New York Conference Hoard to 
agree on prices for mm-pooled milk. It also main- 
rains a Maintenance ol' Sales Committee to find pur¬ 
chasers for milk iu plants whore business venditions 
have shifted so as to close existing markets. Its 
policies are simple. It negotiates on behalf of mem¬ 
bers for a fair price. It does not hit mile the money 
of its members: it does not propose to go into the 
milk business, either to manufacture or distribute. 
Its policy is not and never lias been to “tear down" 
•my organization, but to build up its own organiza¬ 
tion and protect its own members. It, hopes in tbit- 
plain. simple way to accomplish great good at little 
expense. 
It is at all times willing to co-operate with other 
organizations for the good of the industry in meas¬ 
ures that do not compromise its own principles. 
The following directors were elected: John L. 
Sullivan, Mo rids P. Richards, Fred R. McLaury. R. 
<;.• Simons, C. N. Smith. II. G. Stringer. Clark W. 
HallWay, John H. Willis. R. C. Raldwin. n. L. 
Blanchard, John Anderson, Fred M. Jones, C. W. 
Newton, W. S. Rhodes, Holland R. Foster. 
The ofiieers for the ensuing year are: William S. 
Rhodes, president; Fred M. Jones, vice-president: 
Morris P. Richards, treasurer, Ralph C. Baldwin, 
secretary. a member. 
Those Twelve Great Agriculturists 
AST week we printed the names of 12 men who 
were selected by our correspondents as having 
done most to promote American agriculture. Some 
of our readers say these names are not all represen¬ 
tative. The answer to such criticism is to ask the 
critic to name men who are better qualified to enter 
the list. Most of the critics found Ibis hard to do. 
It seems that, our people do not agree as to what 
constitutes great service. Some consider practical 
example as most important, and they would select 
practical farmers who show the world just how a 
farm should be conducted. Then there arc people 
who say that economic and political progress is the 
only important thing. Others seem to think the 
teachers and scientists are most important. Others 
regard the great inventors and organizers who gave 
the cheap car. the telephone and the gasoline engine 
to tin* world as most influential. Still another 
smaller group say that poets and artists and novel¬ 
ists have done most for agriculture by stimulating 
thought, and imagination. For example, one of our 
readers thinks the artist who painted "The Man 
With the Hoe.” and the poet who immortalized it in 
verse, just as influential in helping farmers as Dr. 
Bailey. Prof. Babcock or Ileury Ford. It is not 
likely that many of us ever considered that side, yet 
it is worth considering if we are to take a broad 
view of the subject. We want all the criticism of 
that list that we can get—with reasons for the criti¬ 
cism. It is going to give us all a chance to get down 
to essential things, and learn just what tlie real de¬ 
velopment of agriculture ought to be. 
Education of Indians in New York 
The condition of last year is repeated again this year 
at ike short course at the State College with regard to 
the enrollment of the Indians from the different reser¬ 
vations of the Sate. This is largely due to the interest 
that has been put forth by Dr. Erl Bates, who is the 
originator of tin- Bates plan for the education of the 
Indians. Dr. Bates' belief is that attempts to educate 
the Indians.for the professions has largely been a fail¬ 
ure. and that the natural thing and the thing which is 
getting results is educating these young men and wom¬ 
en along agricultural and home-making lines. The 
hoys who are attending the short course arc the leaders 
of the different groups, and the practices which they are 
following are doing much to change the conditions on 
the reservations. E. a. F. 
Use More No 2 Apples 
Perhaps you have not iced, as I ha\o. that ever since 
the Pacific Coast States became prominent in the apple 
growing industry, and by reason of more favorable cli¬ 
matic conditions produced apples superior in appear¬ 
ance. but hardly equal in quality to those grown in the 
Central Wrsl aud East, the trade, especially in our 
large cities, has beet spoiled to an extent that if has 
almost become impossible for a grower, at least in this 
section, to sell anything but No. 1 or fancy stoek. except 
to the Jewish. Creek or Italian hucksters, who. I need 
hardly tell you. are hard customers to deni with. No 
matter how careful a grower may be in giving proper 
attention to his orchard, he cannot control the elements; 
he often has to eoutend with an over-abundance of rain 
or a prolonged drought, like we had in this section this 
year, and so, in spite of all he can do. he will always 
have more or less apples tlmt will run Under the grade 
demanded in these times. According to ruv observation*, 
on an average not over 00 per cent out of a Central 
Western or Eastern orchard will pack No. 1 or fancy. 
Now. the question is. what are the growers to do with 
ihe other fit per cent? "Send them to the eider mill,” 
the fastidious big city dealer will tell you. bur he for¬ 
gets. or doesn't eare. that after paying the expenses of 
gathering aud hauling them for the price thc^ cider 
mills are willing to pay (which I understand is 25 ceuts 
per 100 lbs. in New York State at present 1, there is 
nothing left for tin* grower. If he has to ship by rail 
the present outrageously high freight rates are often as 
much as the eider mills will pay, aud so, almost any 
way one figures it. there i- nothing in it. Now. accord¬ 
ing to my judgment, quite a large quantity of the -40 
per cent could be packed in barrels or bushel baskets 
and make a very fair No. 2 grade, and if the regular 
dealers could be induced to handle them in the same way 
they do the No. 1, by offering them to the retail grocery 
men at a reasonable price, 1 believe they could be read¬ 
ily sold by the hoter to a class of people who cannot 
afford to buy "fancy'’ apples. 
After all. an apple is an apple, and if it is sound and 
of reason a Id \ good size, there are thousands of people 
in every large city with good-sized families but not Hush 
financially, who would be glad to buy them at a (trice 
they can afford to pay. As if is now, and has been the 
case for some time, or ever since the large city dealers 
got so high-toned or lazy that they will not bother with 
anything but fancy stock in supplying their customers, 
about the only chance the people in moderate circum¬ 
stances have to get cheap apples, which they can afford 
to eat, is to wait till the "pushcart” comes around. 
There is no overproduction of apples in this country 
if onr crops are rightly handled by proper distribution. 
There is nor one person in Iu in the United States but 
what likes apples, even specked apples, if they can’t get 
sound ones. I am opposed to all this waste that is 
going on in the apple business, and it occurs to me that 
an influential paper like The It. N.-Y. could do a 
world of good by educating the American public to use 
more No. 2 apples, instead of spending so much of their 
apple money on the fancy grades that are intrinsically 
no better, but cost a great deal more because si large 
part of them came several thousand miles away front 
home. L. E. 
Missouri. 
Railroad Freight Rates and Wages 
In reference to recent statements about freight rates 
and wages of railroad employes. 1 offer the following: 
Federal regulation "f railroads covers a period of 35 
years, beginning in 1-887. The Interstate Commerce 
Commission publishes annual reports of statistics, and 
from these reports I have compiled a table showing 
average costs of ton mile haul, average hourly wage 
paid to employes and average rate per cent of income 
to the carriers for operating the railroads. Any solu¬ 
tion of this very important problem must take into ac¬ 
count the accomplishments of the past. Drawing a line 
below rhe figures for the last half of 1010 will divide the 
table into two sections showing marked contrasts that 
hold a valuable lesson r- the American people. 
Lesson of First Period. —From 1887 to 1.4)18 freight 
rates steadily declined, while railroad wages increased, 
and railroad profits increased. The lowest rates in 
American railroad history were in 14)10, and the highest 
profits were earned in the same year, both accomplished 
while paying constantly increasing wages. The best 
three-year period for the American railroads ended in 
101(5, lowest rates, highest profits, and highest wages 
up to that date. 
Lemon of Second Period. —Since 101(5 freight rates 
have advanced so per cent, wages 10O per cent, and 
profits to capital have declined and fluctuated consider¬ 
ably. Rates have started t<> go down, so have wages, 
hut profits earned do not compare with the period im¬ 
mediately preceding rhe beginning of the World War. 
Summing up of Lou- Rates Compared with High 
Rate*.- -From the viewpoint of the shipping public 
there is no question about the preference for low rates. 
As rates advance, certain commodities cannot move 
with any profit to the producer. Railroad employes are 
better paid when rates are low. for rates are reflected 
in the cost of living. It is very probable that railroad 
employes received a larger net income for their services 
in l'Jlf! than at any time since that date. In the 
opinion of the writer, railroad employes would gladly 
accept the 14)10 scale of wages if their employers would 
reduce rates to the I'.tlO level, the reductions to Iu- made 
at the same dart. The railroads should be willing to 
return to the pre-war level of rates, which to them 5s 
the most profitable. High rates are not profitable to 
the railroads, as the table well teaches. The reasons 
are easy of explanation. The two large elements in the 
eost of transportation are wages and cost of supplies. 
High freight rales are reflected back in the cost of sup¬ 
plies that railroads must purchase. High rates also are 
found an element in the eosi of living of employes, and 
must be paid for iu the end by the railroads in the 
form of higher wages. 
Importance of the Transportation Problem. —In every 
product of the farm, the shop, the factory, the mine, the 
forest and the forge, three items of cost arc usually 
found, and on the average are nearly equal. For every 
dollar the producer recei.es another dollar is added as 
cost of transportation, and another dollar for the dis¬ 
tributor nr middleman. If the transportation o>st is 
reduced the two other elements of cost are proportion¬ 
ately reduced. 
Sorrier Should he the Aim .—It should be the aim of 
the transportation system of the nation to give tlie 
largest service possible. This is possible oul.v when the 
lowest freight rates are given that permit of a fair and 
reasonable return on the capital invested. The present 
rates do not meet this test. The rates iu effect iu 14)10 
have proven by experience* as best for all. 
Employes’ 
*/c T n< *mie 
Year Ended 
Ton Mile 
Hour Wage 
Rate 
Month of 
June. 1SSS.. 
ie, 1880. 
Freight Rate 
801.tan 
.4)22 
Rate 
on Capital 
June, lsi'0. 
.’.*41 
3 81 
June. 1801. 
.805 
3.71 
June, lspi!. 
.SON 
3 81 
June. 1803. 
.sis 
3.74 
June. 1804. 
.800 
3.17 
Jutte. 18415. 
.S3!) 
80.180 
3 1!) 
June, is;a;. 
,s00 
.ISO 
3.57 
June. INJ>7. 
70S 
.IS!) 
3.48 
June. 180s. 
. 4 
.18!) 
3 07 
June. 184)4*. 
.724 
.187 
4.14 
June. 14KK). 
.724) 
.185) 
4.5 s 
June. 14)01....... 
. 4 *>0 
.14)0 
4.70 
June, 1002. 
.757 
.100 
5 20 
June, 14)0.3. 
.7(53 
.15)2 
5 10 
June. 14)0+. 
.780 
.210 
4 81 
June. 1005. 
.700 
.203 
5.05 
June. l'.hMi. 
.748 
.107 
5.41 
June, 14)07. 
.715) 
.213 
5.22 
June. 1008. 
.704 
.240 
4 SO 
June. 14)04). 
.703 
.21.) 
5.38 
June. 1010. 
.753 
.224 
5 88 
June. 1011. 
.754 
.214 
4.02 
June. 1012. 
.741 
.244 
4.8!) 
June. 1013. 
.720 
.252 
5 01 
June. 1011. 
-on 
. 4 00 
.200 
4 12 
June. 14115. 
-on 
.200 
4 17 
June. 1010. 
.707 
.270 
5 00 
December. 1010.. 
.707 
.280 
0.17 
December. 14)17.. 
.715 
.320 
5 31 
December. l'.*is.. 
.840 
.458 
3.0.0 
December. 1014)... 
.4)73 
.585 
2.01 
December. 15)20... 
1.052 
.07(5 
0.35 
December. 1021... 
1 274 
.582 
300 
.Tune, 15*22 (Mi yr 
) 1.220 
.527 
4.44 
F. 14. C. 
