3915. 
THE KUR-A.I> NEW-YORKER 
265 
DEPARTMENT OF FOODS AND MARKETS. 
First Report of the Commission. 
Part II. 
EDUCTION IN EXPENSE.—This will open a 
free channel for the passage of foods from the 
farm in the country to the consumer in the city, 
without obstruction of any kind, except the single 
wholesale expense at the terminals and the necessary 
cost of retail distribution. The records of the whole¬ 
sale prices will be open and it will be the duty of the 
Department, under the law, to furnish these quota¬ 
tions to the city papers and to publish the same in 
bulletins and otherwise for the information of the pro¬ 
ducer and consumer. Under this system, when the 
prices are cheap at the farm, the goods must flow free¬ 
ly to the consumer at commensurate prices. The mere 
cost of economic distribution would be added to the 
cost of the farm. When produce is cheap the consumer 
will get the direct benefit and the extra consumption 
will absorb the surplus under the free operation of the 
law of supply and demand. The Department believes 
that the retail price to consumers can be adjusted on 
a fair basis through the medium of publicity and 
through the influence of the Department, to encourage, 
by advertising and otherwise, the trade of local distri¬ 
butors who maintain sanitary stores and sell the goods 
at a fair profit. 
A CO-OPERATIVE COMPANY is being organized to 
operate in the several city market terminals under the 
State cooperative law, which limits the dividends to cap¬ 
ital to six per cent on the capital invested. Any addi¬ 
tional profits to the company are distributed to members 
in proportion to the amount of their transactions with 
the company. Shares are $5 par value and ,$5,000 is the 
most any member can hold. Each member has only one 
vote, without regard to the number of shares he holds. 
The purpose of these co-operative companies is to pay 
capital a fair return for its use, and to preserve all the 
other benefits and profits for the producers and con¬ 
sumers. The co-operative company will control the 
storage and manufacturing plants, and the whole or 
part of the wholesale distribution in the markets. It 
will have the right, if thought best, to rent spaces to 
other receivers on commission ; but all transactions in 
any event will be under the supervision of the Depart¬ 
ment. 
A GRADUAL ADJUSTMENT.—The Department 
has no wish to disturb any present business. Some re¬ 
adjustments will, no doubt, be necessary; otherwise 
there would be no reform, but the easy flow of food 
under the law of supply and demand will cause a 
larger consumption and afford new opportunities for 
real, economic distributing service. Speculating busi¬ 
ness is always uncertain and variable. On the eon- 
trai’y a business founded on economic service is al¬ 
ways safer and fairly remunerative. Under an economic 
system of distribution, trade will be steady, and when 
once adopted we doubt if any that now oppose the 
new system would be willing to return to the old 
methods. Four terminal markets are offered the Depart¬ 
ment by the New York Central Railroad, the New Haven, 
the Pennsylvania system and the Bush Terminal inter¬ 
ests, respectively. We are only required to furnish re¬ 
sponsible lessees for a term of years. The buildings will 
be erected and arranged to suit the requirements and 
demands of the Department and there will be no ex¬ 
pense to the city or to the State except a reasonable 
rental for the use of the terminals. The markets must 
be self-supporting. They can easily maintain them¬ 
selves in both rental and operating expenses and pro¬ 
duce a reasonable surplus for emergencies and for new 
development, but to be effective they must be under 
the supervision and control of the Department. As a 
means to the exercise of this control, and to secure an 
advantageous rental, the Department should have au¬ 
thority to enter into a lease for terminal markets for a 
term of years, and to sublet them to one or more 
tenants at an advance sufficient to cover the rental and 
any necessary expense that might be incurred. The 
Department should have a working capital of at least 
$300,000, to be used in developing the markets, and for 
organizing a system of crop and market reports; for 
organizing the up-State markets and co-operative asso¬ 
ciations of producers; for establishing a system of re¬ 
tail outlets for the terminal markets; for organizing 
the co-operative operating company for the terminals; 
for inspection and regulation, and for otherwise sus¬ 
taining the service of the Department as by law re¬ 
quired. 
THE FOOD SUPPLY.—The question of food supply 
is no longer one that affects the farmer alone. The city 
consumer is even more concerned. The farmer could 
stop supplying and live on his surplus. The city has 
practically no surplus. Cut off from the country its 
citizens would soon feel the pinch of hunger. The 
country producing population is constantly decreasing. 
The city population is increasing. Boys and girls 
cannot be kept on the country farm by education or ar¬ 
gument. Population seeks a level of advantages for 
making a living and a fortune just as inevitably as 
water seeks its own level. The city needs youth and 
health and Vigor and enterprise. It bids against the 
country for these qualities. In the present organization 
of society the city bids highest and gets the prize. The 
cnly way to keep the boys and girls on the farm pro¬ 
ducing food for the city is to give them a better reward 
for their labor. It is to the interest of the city to see 
that the farm producer gets a square deal and a better 
reward for his service. It is the only way to insure a 
permanent supply of food for the city and the only 
way to keep the inhabitants of the city from ultimate 
starvation. 
WASTE AND WANT.—While hunger and want and 
high food prices prevail in the city, tons of the finest 
kinds of food products in the world are rotting on the 
farms within a few hours ride of the City of New York. 
We build for our children schools and churches, play¬ 
grounds and parks, hospitals and asylums, pool-houses 
and jails, but we abandon them to the tender mercies 
of the food speculator and support them as invalids, 
paupers or criminals rather than disturb the profits of 
the speculators who control the channels of our food 
supplies. The State Food Investigating Commission 
reported, after careful investigation, that under a pro¬ 
per system of food distribution, the consumers in New 
York City would be saved from $60,000,000 to $100,- 
000,000 per year. Other investigators have estimated 
the food consumption of New York City at $600,000,- 
000 to $800,000,000, annually. The Department be¬ 
lieves that the terminal charges of a properly conducted 
wholesale market would not exceed 10% of the whole¬ 
sale price of the food handled through it. It believes 
that an average of 20% would be sufficient for an 
economic system of retail distribution. This estimate 
would leave a saving of 35% on the distribution of 
food products in the city or a total saving of more 
than $200,000,000, annually. To effect this saving it 
would not be necessary that the Department should 
supervise, under markets established by it, all the foods 
coming to the city. If 25% of the food products were 
supervised and regulated in these markets, the bal¬ 
ance of the trade would be required to follow the same 
line by economic necessity. 
The New York State Grange. 
Part II. 
T HE last two days of the session were crowded with 
business which was transacted in a sane and care¬ 
ful manner. The work of the committees is partic¬ 
ularly to be commended. It was conscientiously 
done. Those not familiar with the proceedings of the 
State Grange in session will need to be informed that 
when a resolution is introduced for the consideration of 
the convention it is read and referred to its appropriate 
committee. The committee meets usually several times, 
depending on the amount of business that has been re¬ 
ferred to it, considers the resolutions submitted and re¬ 
ports its findings upon the same to the body of the 
Grange. The committee on Legislation submitted a re¬ 
port to the Grange of 21 long typewritten pages, the 
work of several sessions of the committee. The findings 
of the committee were reversed by the Grange in only 
two instances, we believe, but that is not saying that ail 
committees fare so well at the hands of the Grange, for 
the delegates never hesitate to reverse a report if it does 
not agree with their thought on the subject. 
Relative to taxation the Grange took the position 
that the tax laws were now working detrimentally to 
the interest of the farmer; that those who assess prop¬ 
erty should be removed as far as possible from all polit¬ 
ical influences; that the recording tax on mortgages 
should be repealed and the tax made an annual one; 
that the farmer should have fair representation on all 
tax and equalization boards. 
On the question of township schools the Grange went 
on record in favor of making the township the unit of 
taxation for school purposes provided that all incor¬ 
porated villages are excluded from said unit; that a 
town school board of from three to seven members 
should be elected at the annu .1 school meeting, said 
board to serve without salary, but to have the same 
powers and duties as the present trustees or school 
boards, in their respective districts. The law shall not 
do away with existing school districts nor change their 
boundaries. 
In ballot reform the Grange asked that its legisla¬ 
tive committee endeavor to secure such amendments to 
the election laws as will simplify the methods, reduce 
expenses and cut down the number of officers employed. 
The committee was also instructed to carry out the 
Grange idea that woman shall be placed in absolute 
political equality with man in respect to the franchise. 
A number of resolutions were not definitely acted upon 
by the Grange, but were referred to the legislative com¬ 
mittee, which keeps an eye on legislation iu Albany, as 
being more competent to judge what action should be 
taken with regard to them than is the Grange in its 
annual session. One such resolution was that in refer¬ 
ence to the new apple grading and packing law. There 
was a resolution to have the law repealed, but owing to 
the lack of information on the subject it was deemed 
wiser, to let the legislative committee handle the ques¬ 
tion iu connection with the horticultural societies, to 
see if some amendments can be made to make the law 
more workable. Another such resolution referred to 
the bonding of creamerymen; another to the control 
of the State water powers, and still another to the es¬ 
tablishment of a State constabulary. 
The action taken by the Grange on matters pertain¬ 
ing to the highways is a good illustration of what I 
have said, that the delegates do not always think along 
the same lines as the committees who report upon the 
resolutions. The committee favored a resolution pro¬ 
viding for a law to have a gravel road constructed along¬ 
side State roads, six feet wide, for the accommodation 
of horse-drawn vehicles. A delegate or two promptly 
called attention to the fact that our roads are costing 
us many times too much now, and this would add great¬ 
ly to the expense. The proposition was voted down. 
Again the committee condemned the use of crude oil on 
the highways, and wanted it stopped, but the Grange 
said : Use it with greater care. On the proposition that 
auto trucks should pay a motor tax in proportion to 
their horsepower, the Grange conincided with the com¬ 
mittee and favored it. 
The proposition to extend the provisions of the com¬ 
mission merchant law to include sales of live stock met 
with favor, as did a resolution to make it a misde¬ 
meanor to hunt upon farm lands without permission 
of the owner. On the subject of abolishing the boards 
ot supervisors of the various counties the Grange re¬ 
corded its opposition.. It favored an amendment to the 
highway law to require the drivers of motor cycles to 
be registered and to conform to the same regulations as 
are imposed upon drivers of automobiles. As to the 
shrinkage allowed on hay and straw in bales, it was 
agreed that the allowance should be four per cent in¬ 
stead of five pounds per bale. A lively discussion arose 
over the proposed repeal of the vaccination law, which 
requires that children shall be vaccinated before being- 
admitted to school. 'Pile law was characterized as arbi¬ 
trary in spirit, and not fulfilling the object intended, and 
the Grange took that view of the case. It also said that 
the penalty for spraying fruit trees when in blossom, 
namely $10, is too small, and a resolution making tin 1 
penalty $50 was adopted. Concerning the conflicting 
laws, Federal and State, relative to the confinement of 
live stock in transit within the State, it was deemed 
essential that the laws should be made to conform. 
.The session closed at about noon of the fourth day 
with the work well accomplished. Invitations were re¬ 
ceived for the next meeting from Binghamton, Oneonta, 
Syracuse and Jamestown, and everybody from James¬ 
town says that Jamestown is the place, but on this the 
executive committee will have the last word. The Sixth 
degree class this year numbered 494. j. w. n. 
Peddling Potatoes in New York. 
W E note on page 182 that potatoes are retailing on 
the street where your paper is printed at $1.40 per 
bushel, or on an average at that figure. Would it 
be possible for a “live” farmer to load up a car of 
potatoes at 30 cents per bushel here, and ship them to 
your city, the farmer to accompany the car and give 
notice through, say. two daily papers, to the effect pota¬ 
toes were to be offered from car at $1 per bushel V 
Would there be a demand enough to take the car, 600 
bushels, before demurrage started on the car, and would 
this method be allowed by the city officials? What, is 
your good advice? ,j. r„ m. 
Castile, N. Y. 
The plan of selling from the car is not new, as it is 
possible nearly all the time to buy at both wholesale 
and retail direct from the cars in the New York Central 
yard, and other railroad yards. It would not pay a 
farmer to sell direct from the car or peddle unless he 
had some experience in this city. He would certainly 
get it. This city is really too large to handle such a 
plan successfully. We have heard of its being done in 
smaller cities like Cleveland, Ohio, Pittsburgh, or Bos¬ 
ton, but the conditions on this long and narrow island 
are different. You would probably be held up to pay a 
license fee. Most of the residence streets are well cov¬ 
ered by regular peddlers, who know their customers, and 
can carry a variety of goods. The high retail prices 
which we have mentioned prevail where small lots are 
sold and delivered by grocers. It may even cost 10 or 
15 cents to deliver a peck of potatoes. The plan you 
suggest would work much better in a smaller city 
With the terminal markets proposed by the Commis¬ 
sioner of Foods and Markets, shipments of produce 
would be handled at a greatly reduced cost. 
Grain Stocks and Movements. 
. Grain stocks in store and afloat at various points are, 
in thousands of bushels; 
Wheat. Corn. 
New York . 
do afloat . 
1915. 
1914. 
1915. 
1914. 
40 
1,389 
1,489 
166 
Boston . 
. 477 
7 
106 
74 
Philadelphia . 
. 1.081 
168 
649 
144 
Baltimore . 
980 
215 
1,456 
161 
Now Orleans . 
. 2,808 
697 
272 
1.34 
Galveston . 
. 1.630 
371 
6 
573 
Buffalo . 
. 1.487 
1.521 
1,954 
648 
do afloat . 
. 7,079 
3,916 
Toledo . 
898 
1,107 
346 
298 
do afloat . 
50 
Detroit . 
356 
170 
599 
264 
do afloat . 
• • • 
420 
Chicago . 
867 
5,335 
14.133 
8.525 
do afloat . 
119 
450 
3.622 
399 
Milwaukee . 
32 
257 
712 
195 
do afloat . 
256 
Duluth . 
. 9,947 
12,073 
1,796 
326 
do afloat . 
• • • . 
1.434 
258 
Minneapolis . 
. 16.319 
19,887 
941 
321 
St. Louis . 
. 1.849 
1,659 
510 
423 
Kansas City . 
. 5.725 
7,206 
3,766 
1.567 
Peoria . 
. 3 
122 
196 
35 
Indianapolis . 
310 
221 
892 
506 
Omaha . 
209 
724 
2,642 
2,193 
Total . 
. 59,943 
59,349 
36,601 
16.892 
Increase . 
. 
2,445 
387 
Decrease . 
. 3,209 
1,457 
Oats. 
Bariev 
New York . 
do afloat . 
1915. 
1914. 
1915. 
1914. 
862 
. 65 
973 
505 
63 
Boston . 
1 
10 
230 
4 
Philadelphia . 
366 
219 
42 
Baltimore . 
584 
293 
299 
4 
New ()cleans . 
160 
131 
Buffalo . 
. 1.596 
1,176 
491 
459 
do afloat . 
. 1.098 
411 
637 
324 
Toledo . 
610 
386 
Detroit . 
92 
66 
Chicago . 
10,390 
587 
419 
do afloat . 
. 1,673 
Milwaukee . 
331 
163 
565 
Duluth . 
. 2,442 
1,352 
467 
703 
do afloat . 
334 
*>75 
Minneapolis . 
. 4.314 
2.521 
670 
1.164 
St. Louis . 
. 1.315 
1,342 
17 
40 
Kansas City . 
. 773 
972 
Peoria . 
. 1,291 
1.364 
1 
9 
Indianapolis . 
403 
111 
Omaha . 
• l,3o t 
1,370 
86 
66 
Total . 
23,41S 
4.195 
5.095 
Increase . 
333 
Decrease . 
509 
' 1,075 
294 
• • • 
Rye (1915).—New 
York. 258,000; 
Boston, 
S4.000: 
Philadelphia, 61,000; 
Baltimore, 686,000: Toledo. 4.- 
000; Detroit, 16,000; 
Chicago, 
41.000; 
Milwaukee. 45.- 
000; Duluth, 11,000; 
Minneapolis, 192 
.000; 8t 
Louis, 
2,000; Kansas City, 29,000; Omaha, 
1,455,000 bushels. Increase, 10,000. 
26,000. 
Total, 
Rye (1914).—New York. 3.000; Boston, 2,000; Bal¬ 
timore, 172,000; Buffalo. 6,000; Toledo, 21,000; De¬ 
troit, 19,000; Chicago, 380,000; Milwaukee, 165,000; 
Duluth, 324,000; Minneapolis. 668,000; St. Louis. 63.- 
000; Peoria, 29,000; Omaha, 52,000;. Total, 1,983,000 
bushels. Decrease, 102.000. 
