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Show SHOWFAmVIERSHOW BETTER METHODS OF MARKETING MARKET-ING TO BE TAUGHT BY THE GOVERNMENT. I NEW BUREAU IS PROPOSED Co-oprstlvs Belling by Farm Will Rssult In Grtat Benefits Not Only to the Producer but to the Con-tumor Con-tumor as Well. By GEORGE CLINTON. Washington. There la now Id the agricultural department a Dew division divi-sion known aa the "rural organization service." Ita chief, T. N. Carver,. who bus just been appointed, waa until recently re-cently a professor at Harvard university. univer-sity. If Secretary of Agriculture Houston has bis way, Professor Carver Car-ver probably will be made the chief of another new bureau to be known aa the "bureau of markets." There la already al-ready a bureau of markets' organization, organiza-tion, but It is unofficial, and Mr. Houston Hous-ton will ask congress to give definite approval with a definite appropriation for a bureau of this kind. Just what the new service will do In detail bas not yet been determined, but It la well known that a primary duty will be to study the economics of the marketing of products. It Is known that Secretary of Agriculture Houston, with the complete sympathy of President Wilson, will Interest himself him-self particularly In an attempt to cut down the cost of living by cutting out Inefficient and unbusinesslike methods In marketing the products of the larm. Dr. George K. Holmes, tvho Is the statistician of the division of production produc-tion and distribution, bas found out that the consumer pays for his vegetables, vege-tables, fruit, poultry and dairy products prod-ucts about twice as much as the farmer farm-er receives for them. What Farmer Should Do. Dr. Holmes bas said on this matter: "A survey of the systems of marketing market-ing farm products clearly discovers what the farmers can best, do to their advantage. Tbey muat associate themselves them-selves together for the purpose of assembling as-sembling their individual contributions of products, to consider means of shipping in carload lots, of obtaining market news at places to which It Is practicable to send their products, to sell in a considerable number of markets mar-kets If not In many markets, and to secure the various other economic gains of associative selling. Hut farmers need some help In establishing establish-ing associations. Tbey always need a leader for such purposes, and there may be no leader. "A division of markets could perform per-form excellent service In helping farmers farm-ers to help themselves to organise marketing associations. These associations asso-ciations could either handle their products until sold In various markets or could ship their products to a non-co-operative marketing agency, which would take charge of the entire business busi-ness of distributing from a central receiving re-ceiving point. "It seems not always feasible to market products co-operatively, or, at my rste, the producers are not always Disposed to do so. However, that may be, there are many non co-operative marketing agencies In this country that are performing excellent service tor farmers, and some of them are doing do-ing business of Immense proportions. A division of markets, equipped with t corps of competent field agents, oould get Into touch with farmers for the purpose of promoting the organl-tation organl-tation of marketing associations wherever the fsrmers request assist-ince assist-ince or Information; the agent could meet the assembled farmers snd practically prac-tically organize them If tbey desired. It can hardly be doubted that thla lervlce can be successfully performed and, eventually, with results greatly beneficial to farmers. The traveling leld agents also could perform good tervlce In examining Into the affairs jf weak and unsuccessful marketing tasociatlons and advise changes for their Improvement." To Probe Civil Service. It Is virtually settled that there is to be a sweeping Investigation Investiga-tion of the civil service law under which thousands upon thousands of Americans bold tbelr places. Of course there will be a feeling that he Investigation Is prompted by the leslre of the dominant party to create vacancies for party workers, but It teems likely that any such Investigation Investiga-tion would affect comparatively few of the holders of minor positions under the civil service, and would strike only few of the heads, and It would itrike nobody If an Inquiry should Jlvulge that there Is nothing wrong with the system as It stands. As matters are It seems that nearly verybody In congress, irrespective of party, wants to see the civil service law revised. This Is plain because every once In a while criticism Is beard of the civil service system frnm iba mouths of Democrats. Republicans tnd Progressives, while debates are n In either house. The civil service :om mission always bas insisted that ton partisanship methods have been .Jhered to absolutely In the giving of ippotntments to men who apply under he civil service law, and the prob iblllty la. everybody says, that sn investigation will show this to be the fact. The trouble, members say, with .he civil service system Is not so much thst Incompetent men get Into jfflce, or that favoritism Is shown In marking examinations, as that' many employes take advantage of the tart that they are ander civil service and hlak they are there for life, to loaf a their jobe, that Is. to give just a tinea working service as they think It Is necessary to give snd yet to savt their positions. Practical Knowfsdgt Nttdtd. Men Interested in the safeguarding of the civil service law say that It baa been shown many times that per sons who can paas the best civil service serv-ice examinations do not always make the best employes. This means, of course, that a good many men have "book learning," which enables them to get Into the service by the cxamina tlon route, but when they get In It la found that their "book learning" la not anywhere near so much service to the government as practical knowledge knowl-edge would be. More and more the civil service chiefs have attempted to make the examinations practical, but even the best tests of practical knowledge fall at times when tbey are reduced to question form. An investigation of the civil service which it Is promised will be made, will go deep Into all questions, and it Is believed that the committee of congress con-gress which will conduct the inquiry will be able to recommend new legislation legis-lation when the next session of congress con-gress opens In December. President Wilson. It Is said, favors an invesllga tlon. As has been said, It Is charged that a great many employes under the civil service lose their ambition to work as soon as they are "covered by the law." When it comes to a question of promotion political favor Itlsm still rules In places In the departments, de-partments, and so frequently a man who la lazy, If he happens to be a favorite with someone In authority, can get promotion, while an ambitious ambi-tious man doing twice as good work as the other can get no promotion. This is a part of the system which congress says must be changed. Joys of Official Life. A United States senator told me a few days ago that out of his salary of $7,000 he was able during the first year of his lucum-bancy lucum-bancy to keep for himself only $2,800. He said that he did net give the money away, but that he waa obliged because of the Importunities of patronage hunters to spend virtually virtu-ally all of his time which was not spent In the senate chamber, In the work of seeing men In authority In an endeavor to get government places for constituents who thought they deserved de-served them, and that this necessitated necessi-tated his paying the greater part ot bis salary for extra clerks, stenographers stenog-raphers and the like In order that the multitudinous things could bo done which a senator Is supposed ordinarily ordinar-ily to do for himself. This gives some Idea of what a senator or a member of thu house has to do when he first oomes to Washington. Wash-ington. It Is especially true Just at the present time, when there bas been a change of administration. It Is probably no exaggeration to say that every Democratic senator and every Democratic member of the house of representatives has In his office 1,000 applications for place under the government, gov-ernment, and each maker of an application ap-plication seemingly believes that he Is the only proper person to whom a Job should be given. The patronage business Is driving some of the members of congress pretty close to the distraction point Tbey do not know what to do. They do not like to offend the place seekers, seek-ers, and yet they know that offense In a majority of caaes will be taken, for, as one senator put It, "no man or woman believes that any other man or woman should be given the ' places which the first man and worn an have asked for." Busy Asking for Jobs. The senator who said that he was able to keep less than $3,000 ot bis 1 pay for himself declared that from the day be came to Washington after the new administration was inaugurated inaugu-rated be had done little else than tramp the streets or ride in street cars from department to department, asking for a Job here and a Job there for this man or for that man. The senator said: "I am sick unto death of it and yet I can't help myself, nor Is there, as fas as I can see, any way out of the whole miserable condition of things." In about six or eight months It Is probable that most of tbe places, which are now sought by patronage seekers because of the change of administration, ad-ministration, will be filled, and tbe senators and representatives will get some relief, but It must be remember ed that there are a great many appointive ap-pointive positions under the government govern-ment which have a definite term of years to run, and so It Is that even after the bulk of tbe places have been filled there still will be post masterships, mas-terships, coilectorshlps and a dozen or so other positions which will come vscant from time to time, and over which senators and representatives must worry. Now, when one remembers that there may la a change of administration adminis-tration on March 4, 1917. tbe whole atory of the past two months and of the coming six or eight months will be repeated If another party should come Into power, it will be repeated In part If the Democrats remain In power, but with another man than Mr. Wilson as president of tbe United States. Tbe wear and tear of the office-seeking business tells not only on senators and representatives, but on the president pres-ident and on tbe cabinet officers. Mr Wilson put up his slga of "no office seekrs need apply" long ago, but he must listen to the reports of the cabinet cab-inet officers on tbe patronage matter, and art as the court of last resort as between thla man and that man The cabinet officers themselves art obliged to give over seversl hours every day to tbe duty of heating why Metanrtlion Smith la a much tx-ttn mr fur the positoa of collector ol tr.1 port of tieibune than Is Jabet Slmpton |
