Delaware tribune. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1867-1877, 1870-09-15
PEACHES.
NEW ARRANGEMENTS NEEDED WITH RAILROADS
AND DEALEns-vIEws OF MIR. TOWNSEND.

AND DEALEns-yIEws OF Mr.. TOWNSEND.
Mr.samuel Townsend, of Townsend, has written |
letter on the subject of the continuance oil the
charge of four cents carriage per bushel on
| peaches in New York, which seems of sufficient
Importance to justify us in rescuing it from the
obscurity of a village paper, and giving it to the
whole peach growing community. The letter is
as follows -
| the present peach season, to know my opinion
| why peaches did not bring higher prices and
| why that four cents carriage was still charged;
after the committee last spring reported it would
be in future charged to the buyer. Having a
little leisure, now proceed to answer, or give
| my views as to what would be the best for the
/ trade in the future.
In the first place, Peach Growers must be true
| TO themselves, and when they appoint committee
to act for them, and their action is reported and
ratified, the Growers must have the honest man
illness to act up to what they pledge MeInselues 10
do. Last spring, Charles Brown, of Dover, N.
II. Willitts, and myself, were appointed COM
mittee to go to New York and arrange with the
commission men this four cent charge for cart
ing peaches after they had been at Jersey City.
| We went to New York, at or O,rn expense, for
the good of our brother Peach Growers, and had
determined to meet the commission men in some
public hall, but after seeing several of them who
| voluntarily offered to second our views, it was
proposed to us OH the part of the leading sales
men that We should hold OUR meeting in an
upper office of Nlessrs. Combs, Nix ~ Co. We
held our meeting there, and to every appearance
it was satisfactory. The four cents charge to the
Delaware shippers was agreed to be dispensed
with, and that charge added on to the purchaser
at Jersey City. The committee then with several
of the New York statesmen, went over to Jersey
City, and had an interview with Mr.. Jackson,
Superintendent of the Railroad in regard to in
creased facilities for the peach trade, and we
left with the full assurance of the statesmen and
be carried out In good faith
Some time after there were hints thrown out
by certain statesmen, that they would not carry
out the agreement, and that certain growers
would let tho arrangement the committee made
go, and yield to the superior Tisdom OF their
statesmen. Thus things went on, until meet
ing was held in New York, and by part of the
} very same statesmen who had solemnly agreed
to charge the carriage to tho buyer at Jersey
City, and these men issued circular to the
Delaware Peach Growers. A few days after our
, Association held an adjourned meeting at Mid
dletown where the said circular was criticised,
and in the presence of eight or ten New York
statesmen, George W. Cummins, prominent
member of our Association, got up and sustairl-
ed those New York statesmen, who had repudia-
, ted their former agreement with the committee,
and after the report of the committee had been
ratified, thus giving aid and comfort to these
statesmen to break their arrangement, and par
: ticulary to the men who sold for him. To make
; change of the charge of carting from Jersey
| lily, IL required united action OH our part, anu
. it would have been better, that day at Middle
town, for the Association to have asked MIR.
i Cummins what he would have taken for his
crop of, suppose, five or six Thousand baskets,
and paid him, rather than the carriage arrang'
ment should have been broken up.
. But am one who never greves after split
= milk. | have had to meet the willy schemes OF
, these. peach dealers, years ago, when they en-
trenclled themselves in Philadelphia. had to
+, turn their position and go to Jersey City. Now
! the most of these statesmen and shippers beyond
New York, are leagued together at New York, at
they were at Philadelphia.
, What's to be done to counteract them. We
: must hold a meeting in few days and appoint
! a committee to go on and get connection Will
the railroad on the east side of the North River
! that is, get them to extend to the water, and
! make slip There is already such connection
: at Jersey City with the water, and by acting
early it will give time for the companies to build
lighters and have everything i'll readiness before
. another crop of peaches, SO that the growers cal
. send ears right through, without relaudling, te
any city or town in New England and send O
, man to all said places to sell our fruit. This al
once destroys these shippers or middle-men be
, You'd New York, who have conspired to break up
our arrangement of charging them to cart then
own peaches after buying them in Jersey City
feel sure that the periidy of breaking solemn
agreement. this year, with regard to that tonl
! cent carriage, will turn out in the end lasting
benefit to tho peach growers, as they. will nov
: take effeetual means to destroy IL and the men
: Jersey City only enough peaches for the New
. York trade, and sheds should be put up by the
, railroad Company to accommodate statesmen ia
, sell every peach in Jersey City intended for New
! York. The above reforms in the peach trade are
necessary, and the peach growers can accomplish
! | them before another crop.
The business is getting to be Of too vast i'm
, portance to trust it to the tender merces OF a
set of men who will to-day make solemn bar
, gam with the grower, and tomorrow repudiate
it,. Another bargain should be made with the
railroad companies in regard to freight. Eighty
dollars ought to be the highest price given fol
transporting car load of peaches from Dove
, to New York. The trade is getting to he 81
! heavy aud the prices of peaches reduced, thai
the growers must demand from the railroat
companies reduction in freight. and from sixt,
to eighty dollars il high freight from Dover I,
Jersey City,an all the growers looking to Lewes
| town as an outlet, run their boats into
= Boston, Providence, and towns along the Sound
: for that line is completely clear OF the Jelse,
! City monopoly, and il the Camden aud Ambo,
llne will not reduce their freights, it will be thu
I interest of all growers i'll Delaware to so I,
= market by way of lewcstowI as, besides lowe
. frelglts We can land east of North River wher
we please; any number of boats can be had t,
. carry the peaches
The pcninsular peach growers have monopol,
OF the peach growing business, and they an
fools II they do not control it for their own bes
interests.
meeting, attended by all the peach growers
:, ought to bc held in Dover, on the 9th of tin
n month, or as soon az possible thereafter, to taxi
action for the fnrtllerance Of our interests
v SAMUEL TOWNSEND.
!, | TpwySrNp DrI Sapt 2th 1874