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About The North Platte semi-weekly tribune. (North Platte, Neb.) 1895-1922 | View Entire Issue (Sept. 14, 1915)
THE SEMI-WEEKLY TRIDUNE. NORTH PLATTE, NEBRASKA. OUTDOOR WIRE FACTORY IN GERMANY ROAD BUILDING IMPROVE ROADS IN ILLINOIS UNCffiON CITY ft mi a, xi i . f A temporary outdoor factory In Germany whuro Uusslnn prlBoncr3 aro making of entanglements In front of trenches. 110 FRUITS 10 THE MARKET Wholesale Distribution of Com modities Often Seems to Take Circuitous Route. CAUSES OF LOSS AND WASTE Economic Conditions Do Not Court Market ParasltcB Consumers De mand More Elaborate and Efficient Service Problem Is Difficult One. (Prepared by the United States Depart ment of Agriculture.) Washington, D. C Tho present Abundance of fresh vegetables and fruits brings with It tho perennial necessity for tholr rapid, economical distribution and for encouraging a generous and steady consumption. Tho machinery for moving theso food products is complex, and retail gro cors are often accusod of not follow ing closely tbo wholcsalo market quo tations; that in tlmos of glutted mar kets thoy do not cut prlcoo severely and aid in a rapid movement from producer to consumer. But tho re sponsibility for Blow and uneconomic movement into consumptive channols la difficult to traco. Tho largo class of food distributors known as "mid dlemen" aro often accused of levying, Arbitrarily, a heavy tribute on all food stuffs passing from tho producor to tho consumer. Tho attention of tho public has boon frequently directed to increased coats of products rathor than sorvico rondorod. Tho now United States Department of Agrlcul turo Bulletin, No. 207. "Mothods of Wholesale Distribution of Fruits and Vegetables on Largo Markets," does Dot indict tho "middlemen" as a clasH, although It points out somo of tho Abuses In tho trado. As n matter of fact, says tho department's special ists, whun discussing tho present mar keting organization, economic laws would not permit tho long-continued existence of a marketing agency which was solely a parasite. Production Increases. Sovoral Important factors bavo con tributcd to the establishment of many middlemen ns necessary agonts In tho prosont system of marketing. Pro Auction during tho last decado has In creased greatly, and Improved moth ods and facilities for handling tho In crease havo been introduced. Keep Ing paco with Increased production has come tho demand of consumers for inoro elaborate and efficient sorv ico. Seldom Is tho fact considered that sorvico can become a vory ex pensive luxury. With tho wldonlng of tho dlstanco botwoon tho city and tho sources of its fruit and vegctablo sup piles there has arisen tho necessity for special ngonclos to moot tho changed conditions. Tho presont distributive machinery, with ail its strong points and Its weak ncsscs, ha8 been created of nocosslty and it has weathored tho storm of much ndvorso criticism. Kvory part of Uio country is now enjoying the pcrlshablo products of tho moBt re mote districts. Any readjustment of prosont market practlcos must bo based upon tho fact that Bomo agoncy must contlnuo to porform tho func tions of tho prcsont-day middleman, Tho problomB Involved In handling goods through a largo markot dlffor greatly from thoso of production. Us ually ono man or one firm cannot han dle both production and distribution and Bucceed at both. Tho vast vol umo of business transacted , at largo market centors makes necessary somo Bpeclal agonclcs which can devote all their energies to distribution. Kspo dally docs tho machlnory for olllclout markotlng hocomo necessary when perishable goods aro to bo handled. Commodities of this sort must bo moved rapidly, must bo distributed evenly, aud from tholr naturo normlt of no weakness In dlBtrlbutlvo ma chinery, if thoy aro to bo sold at a profit. Cnusei of Losses and Wastes. With tho poriBhablo naturo of a, large part of tho fruits and vegetables VEGETABLES ninrketed there must bo some loss. This often totals higher than the farmer realizes. For Instance, accord ing to tho department's market spe cialists, tho loss on such commodities ns strawberries, peaches and grapes sometimes amounts to .10 or 40 per cent before they reach tho hands of tho rctnll trade. Losses duo to spoil ing may be tho result of tho shipper's sending ovorrlpo or dlscnscd fruit, or falling to glvo proper attention to packing, to loading, or to bracing tho packages In tho car. Sometimes tho railroad Is at fault. Delay In transit, Improper ventilation or refrigeration, or unnecessarily rough handling of cars may contrlbuto to rapid deteriora tion of tho shipment on arrival. Tho lack of proper rofrlgcratlon fa cilities nt distributing centers Is a cause of much loss. When produco moves slowly, thcro Is often much spoilngo boforo complcto Bales can bo mado. Rough handling during unload ing or carting Is another Important cause of loss. Ab a matter of fact, tho opportunities for' losses duo to the spoiling of commodities aro so mani fold that it Is impossible to enter into a completo discussion of them. It is nlways woll to bear In mind tho really sorlous sldo of losses aud wastes. Tho spoiling of a dozon can taloupes, a basket of grapes, or u crato of strawberries represents an nbsoluto loss to tho community. No benoflt accruos to producer, distribu tor, or consumor from such a condi tion. Tho loss occurring at this point must bo Homo by both producor and consumor, and in a great many cases tho distributor must boar his part of tho burden. Tho department's spe cialists think in many cases losses and wastes nro ontlrely too heavy a tax on food distribution and that tho elimination of unnecessary wastes would do as much toward effecting pormanont, substantial economies In marketing and distribution bb any re adjustment of present marketing mothods could do. Losses Can Be Avoided. Tlio fact that a largo percentage of theso losses can bo avoided by proper grading, packing, and shipping, to gether with prompt, ofllclont handling whllo tho goods nro In process of dis tribution., makes It imperative that this subject bo given special consid eration by thoso lntorostod in tho of llclont markotlng of farm crops. A bettor understanding by tho farm er of tho complox marketing machin ery would cnablo him to Intelligently chooso between tho many channels through which his fruits and vega tables might bo marketed. Tho now bulletin alms to mako clonr to tho lay man tho rathor intricate machlnory of tho markot and deals with methods of receiving, Inspection, rejections tormlnnl distribution and sales moth ods, tho brokor, auction sales, cnrlot wholoBalors, commission merchants," Jobbing sales, public markets, etc. EUGENIC BABY PERFECT Tho first eugenic baby Is perfect anil tliriving. Tho baby Is tho dauch tor of Mr. nnd Mrs. Benjamin it. Uell aud has boon named Ilolon Elizabeth Sho was eight and ono-half paunda at birth and has gained steadily halt a pound a wook. Sho sloops In tho opou nnd Is fod with a combination of arttll clnl and natural food. Ilor mother Is soon holding her In tho picture Mora than $5,000,000,000 for luxuries waB the record of expenditures In th United States last year. ut work manufacturing wlro for the T League-Is Formed to Make Na-tion-Wide Campaign. "Take Tariff Out of Politics" Is Slogan Under Which Leading Men of the United States 'Have United. Chicago. "Take tho tntlff out of politics and put ItTon a business basis" Is the slogan of a natlon-wldo cam paign to ho undertaken by. an organi zation formed in Chicago to urgo the establishment of d permanent non partisan tariff commission. Many leading men in tho United States havo gono on record as appiovlng the plan and are directly interested in the movement. Tho Tariff Commission league, Just, formed In Chicago, and now in process of detailed organization, will be tho medium through which tho fight 'will bo mado to nrouse the American pub licthe business world, the agricul tural world, tho labor world to bring such pressure to bear upon congross that tho proposed tariff commission will bo created. James J. Hill has agreed to tako the chairmanship of the advisory commit tee of thirty members, which will pass upon all general matters of policy and action, and which Is now being formed. On Mr. IIIU'b advisory committee it is intended to have prominent repre sentatives of agriculture, labor, manu facturing, trade and commerce, higher education, aa well as experts on eco nomics and public officials. Warren S. Stone of Cleveland, grand chief of tho International Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers, hus accepted an Invitation to servo on tho advisory committee, as ono of the representa tives of labor. Another member of the advisory commltteo Is Mrs. Samuel Sneath of Tiffin. Ohio, first vice- president of tho National Federation of Women's Clubs, nnd a recent addi tion is Miss Jane Addams of Chicago. Iteproscntlng agriculture on that com mltteo are: F. D. Coburn of Kansas, tho "Father of Alfalfa." who for twen ty years has been secretary of the Kansas department of agriculture; ex- Governor W. D. Hoard of Wisconsin. who has been called tho father of the dairy Industry of tho West, nnd A. V. Grout of Illinois, ono of the chief farm ers of that part of tho country and president: of the National Alfalfa Grow era ussqclatlon. Tho composition of the remainder of the committee will be determined shortly. John J, Mitch ell, president of tho Illinois Trust and Savings bank, is treasurer of tho league. G. S. Wood, a well-known newspaper man of Chicago, Is assist ant to the president. Tho president of tho Tariff Commis sion league, and tho man who will be In direct and nctlve charge of the cam palgn for tho arousing of public sentl hient, Is Howard II. Gross of Chicago FOR DRESSES, $5.00 WEEKLY Demands of Wisconsin Woman Considered In Court at Milwaukee. An Milwaukee, Wis. Woman and her clothes was tho subject of a discus sion In tho District Court whon Geortji) Gruenownld, wealthy farmer, was ar raigned on Uio chargo of abandoning his wlfo and chltdron. Mrs. Gruonowald admitted her bus band furnished her with an up-to-dato homo. "But ho will not glvo mo money for clothes," sho said "Mo doesn't glvo me more- than "0 a year to dress with." Gruenowald'B attor ney demanded to know how much was roqulrod. Tho court loft tho question to Assistant District Attorney Sullt van. "I should say," said Sullivan, "that sho could properly dress on $3.50 a week." "That Isn't enough," Mrs. Grueuo wald nssortqd. "1 need $5 a week. Gruenownld agreed to pay $3.50. Ills wlfo agreed that tho abandonment caso be dismissed. Thorns Gripped Dying Man. Jamestown, Ky. Andrew Koford. aged soventy-ono years, was ' aught under u thorn apple trco which ho felled on his farm near hero. Tho thorns gripped his clothing and pro vented his escapo while tho tree rIow- ly crushed out his Ufa IN tariff on Expected That State Will Spent Nearly $200,000,000 for Better High ways In Next Few Years. (By II. A. JEFFRIKS. Member of Illlnoll Good Roads Association.) Illinois has been ono of tho last states to tako up seriously the prob lorn of improving its roads, but now it la going into It with a determination to mako big advancement in a short tlmo. A commission of Illinois road enthusiasts has been touring tho states, inspecting roads and investi gating tho methods of road building. It Is expected that the state will spend In tho next few years nearly $200,000, 000 for good roads, and necessarily our people want to got the best roads possible. The question of whether there Bhall bo macadam roads, brick roads or con creto roads is ono to bo determined. Many of tho new roads aro of mac adam construction, nnd there has been a lot of sentiment for tho brick high ways. Concreto roads havo been ob jected to -largely because of tho great cost of construction. It costs $14,000 a milo for nn 18-foot concreto road, and this initial outlay Is bo great that it ordinarily scares any community. Tho advantage of tho concreto road, however, lies in tho small cost of maintenance. Tho expenso of keeping up a com creto road, it is said, is less than $30 a year per milo, with tho experience of New York, Massachusetts, Now Jer sey and Pennsylvania shows that It costs $800 a milo to maintain mac adam and brick roads. It makes no difference what kind of construction, so long as we get im proved roads, and wo can well afford later -on to change the stylo of road If wo get a first-class highway acrosB tho continent, which, I believe, wlll bo accomplished in tho next ten years. INE ROADS ATTRACT TRADE Pedestrians Go Around Bad Streets to Reach Shops on Good Highways Add to Realty Value. (By L. K. COQPER.) It would seem that in this lato day and age advocating good roads as good for mankind generally and business particularly would be unnecessary. Good roads mean good business. Havo you ever noticed tbat in towns Immediately after a street has been paved or resurfaced, pedestrians and vehicles begin to multiply on those roads? It does not take long before every body, It seems, knows of tho newly paved streets and many go out of the way to travel thorn. Last summer the pavement on a street near my home wbb torn up for repatchlng. The con tractors were so long In oven attempt ing to get started on tho work that merchants along tho street started suit against tho city for business thoy know they had lost because tho street was impassable. If good streets and street is only another name for road mean so much to tho city business man, It Is to bo supposed they aro Just as valuable an asset to the business man or the farm er located on tho highways of the country. Good roads, in the flrat place aro a benefit to every individual in this big land of ours. If all roads nro good, tho peoplo residing hi their Immediate locality find it easier to get A Macadam Road on the Prairie, from place to place. Tho person mak ing u. long cross-country tour finds tho journey the joy he counted on and not a trial, as It certainly Is where traveling Is bad. In tho second place, good roads Increase the value of prop ertyso real estate Is benollted. And so I could go on down the list tho hotel man, the butcher, tho baker, all aro bonelltod, either directly or Indirectly, by good roads; and by good roads I mean roads that permit of foot or vehicular truffle durlnu all Boasons of tho year. Important Duty to People. The making of good roads is one of the most Important duties of tho peoplo and their prompt repair and enreful maintenance Is essential. Thero is probably no subject In which tho progressive farmer is moro dcop ly interested than that of having roads connecting him with his mar kets over which ho must bo ablo to aul tho greatest possible load. Good roads, llko all other ue4 things, nro' too oxponalvu to build and of too niucb valuo to bo neglected. tf- o x " ; -i Washington May Be World's Capital of Fashion WASHINGTON. Plans for tho transferring of tho dictatorship of tho world's fashions from Paris to Washington aro under wuy. Tho initial movement toward making this city tho stylo center of tho unlvcrso has been mado by tho chambor of commerce- 1 ?T? S7r in,',Vy -vLrtm?i destined to envolop tho greater part of tho carth'B inhabitants found the Paris firms overstocked. As n precaution for self-protection, these same merchants now aro focusing their attention upon the seats of governments in tho nations that nro not involved In the conllict. In their search thoy look to Washington, tho capital of tho foremost neutral country, as tho logical place from which to dispense tho codo that Iff to govern tho fashions during tho years to come. Restrictions In tho matter of passportB havo served to turn back buyertr from America who have annually mado pilgrimages to Paris. Tho result is that thero Is a moro restricted supply of foreign fashionable goods here at present than at any other time, when tho fall fashions aro supposed to bo ottracting tho attention of houses that cater to tho elite. Whllo thero Is no formal action by which tho Capital of Fashion Is trans ferred from city to city or nation to nation, a favorable answer from tho bithorto dictators la all that Is considered necessary for Washington to assume tho position In tho van. . Society Woman in Washington Has a Pet Jaguar SOCIETY has explored some of tho remotest corners of tho -world In quest of unique decorations for milady, but Mrs. Hazel Wilson of this cityonjoya the happy distinction of being tho first member of tho national capital's 'smart set" to possess a real, live, undomcsticated baby jaguar for a chum and companion. To bo sure, it Is only two months old, and no larger than a big house cat. but it has a formidable array of long, white, sharp teeth encircling Its jaws, small, pierc ing, yellow oye3 and a very short tem per. Although Mrs. Wilson and Beauty have been friends only a few weeks tho little wild pet seems to tako his captivity as a matter of courso, and has already mado up his mind that Washington society is not such an un pleasant habitat. Beauty is nourished from "tho bottle," just as any other baby would be, and If ho does not grow up to bo a decent, respectable Ameri can citizen ho can blame his own junglo forbears and what's moro, ho baB been mado to understand that If ho displays any of his vicious traits In the presence of "company" his education will ceaso, his fair companion wilt dosert him, and ho will be hurried off to the zoo whero less consideration will be shown him. At his owner's home in tho Thomas, Beauty is given the utmost freedom,, even to reclining in his mistress armB to receive tho dally manicure and' bath, and when ho Is real nice ho is allowed to accompany hla benefactress on her morning walks and drives. He showed the greatest delight one day when tho "movie man" arrived to chroniclo his funny little antics. At first, In truo savage fashion, ho tried to intimidate his audience, but when he was told it was quite tho proper thing for well-bred Americans to be exploited in tho "movies" he growled his approbation and blinked and purred and somersaulted until the camera film was exhausted. Beauty was captured in the wilds of Brazil before his oyes were open, nnd was sent to Mrs. Wilson by a friend. Money Destroyed at Rate of $5,000,000 a Day REDEEMED paper money with a nominal valuo of $1,541,131,111 in 377,364, 188 pieces was dbstroyed by the treasury department during tho fiscal year ended June 30. Officials estimate tho notes weighed 590 tons and that about $5,000,000 worth wob destroyed regulations wore based upon tho act of congress of March 17, 1862, authorizing the secretary to prescribe tho method of destroying notes unfit for circulation. Although changes in the' treasury department's business have resulted In modification of practically every procedure established by the original regulations, Secretary Chase's' order had never been abrogated or formally revised. Thero havo been many changes in practice, however, during tho intervening years, and many of them are not matters of record. By Secretary McAdoo's orders these changes aro now compiled and brought up to date, with additional modifications as safeguards to meet the conditions of tho presont day. In Secretary Chaso's time paper monoy and securities wore destroyed by burning. Experience showed that this was not the safest plan in connec tion with tho destruction of distinctive paper, becauso it is difficult to burrr bundlos of monoy, and undestroyed pieces may escapo through tbo chimney. For this reason tho act ofJune 23, 1S74, authorized the destruction by maceration. Tho destruction of theso once valuable bits of paper has always beon witnessed by joint committees. This policy is continued In Secretary Mc Adoo's order. Eleven-Cent Stamp Is Now Sold by Uncle Sam THE issuance of an lVcent stamp has been authorized by the postmaster general and tho post office department Is now prepared to supply stamps of this denomination to postmasters. Tho new stamp will bo used chiefly in prepaying postage on parcels and postage and insuranca fee on insured parcels amounting to 11 cents. The local postage rate upbn parcel post Is 11 cents upon parcels weighing 12 nnd 13 pounds. In tho first and Bocnnd zones packages weighing seven pounds tako 11 cents. In tho fourth zone, 11 cents Is re quired for two-pound parcels, nnd tn tho Hoventh zono for ono-pound par cels, The rato In the seventh zone for 11 pounds is $1.11. Heuco it was found that an 11-cent stamp would meet a widespread need and demand. Postmasters desiring a' supply of tho now stamp may now mako requisition ror It. . Ordinary stamp Issues n6w ombraco denominations from 1 cent to 12 cents, Inclusive, and live additional 10 cents, 20 cents, 30 cents, 50 cents anil f . Tho 11-cent Bttimp bfcars tho head of Franklin in proftlo, from Houdon's wst. and is printed in dark green ink. It is ot the same shape and size u 1e other ordli ary ecainpa. through negotiations with tho Amor lean chambor of commerce at tho French capital; tho proposition is now to enlist tho united efforts of mer chants in tho schemo which might ro- suit in raagntiiccnt -benefits to Wash- Tl,o world war has dealt stun ning mows to modlBtea of Franco. Coming with a suddenness that was startling, tho conflagration that was each day. In 1865 only 70,000.000 pieces of paper monoy with a nominal valuo of $144,219,920 were destroyed. Regula tions for tho destruction of paper money, havo recently been codified; and revjsed by tho treasury depart ment. The government first issued paper money in connection with the Civil war finances, and Secretary Chase's ELEVEN -CENT 5TAMP5 NOW ON SALE"