The daily gazette., 1878-02-25
WHAT THE PEOPLE SAY
Letter from Samuel Townsend.
For the Gazette.

| For the Gazette.
Mr.. EDfToR-I send you few lines In
regard to the late peach growers meeting
at Middletown, and the peach business
generally. Old Mr.. Coleman, the PLila.
delphia reporter for the PHILADELPHIA
Ledge', could have staid in Philadelphia
and come is near what was done at the
meeting ana saved the expense of COM
ing also the Phila. Times. | shall pro.
pose at our next meeting to not let more
than one reporter in, and before we ad-
journ have him TO read over his report and
correct II, II necessary, on the spot. The
peach growers have been badly slandered
by sensational reporters, who often try
purpoSely 10 create "A bad feeling between
the peach growers and railroad compa-
nies, and | am in favor at the outset this
year to put stop to that game. Next,
i'll regard to freights, | think that ten
cents freight on Il basket of peaches from
Middletown to Jersey City is as much as
ought to be charged for the amount of
money the peaches sell for and four cents
per basket Is a fair freight from Middle
town to Philadelphia that would be $50
per car load of 500 baskets. AS TO the
chartered car system, that is the most
perfect system ever yet introduced to ship
peaches, and will not require any more
cars than the last years plan; but rs 1
- 'hO ihcciiib lisb oituTttdN, III
Mludletown, there might be middle or
compromise plan that would suit the
growers and shippers and could not rea-
sonably be objected to by the railroad
company. 1t Is as follows Let each
shipper who would require four, six or
eight cars, under the chartered car sys-
TEN, be allowed TO put their names and
place of shipping on two to three cars
without chartering them. This plan
n MA nit II
T., w. q B. II. II. or the Z. II. II. Co, the
certain return of empty baskets, rs one
empty carr will carry enough empty
baskets to load or 9 cars when the bask-
cts were filled with peaches. Then for
the supply of cars beyond these two or
j cars that bring empty baskets, let the
shippers notify the railroad station agents
as last year
When they want cars and how MANY
these Two or three cars Tor the return or
empty baskets 10 each firm would keep up
u asupply. AS To peach growers and ship
pers making propositions 10 buy baskets
~ Iour or hve cents each and letting them
De sold, 0w IN reality given dWay with the
peaches, would as former experience In
boxes h hls done, be as so much money given
away, and further IL is presump ption, for
one man, or set of men In one kind OF busi-
ness TO set price on articles grown or
manufactured by another set OF men. No
sensible peach grower would buy baskets
before he ls pretty well sure OF what kind
of crop he is likely to have, and he Cam
not know sooner than dbo1t the first of
July, that leaves all the basket manufac-
turers idle up TO that time, and then In the
next two months, suppose there Is three or
four millions of baskets wanted; does any
sensible man suppose they can be bought
for four or five cents per basket. Fifteen
TO twenty and 25 cents a basket would
he nearer the price for under the prop osi-
ton to give the basket with the peac hes
no shipper would have any to start with
or the basket business would be in the
hands of heartless speculators who II they
risked this money To keep manufacturers
OF baskets making up before hand, when "a
demand sprung up, they would raise the
price accordingly, SO the grower and ship
per would be worse OFF than IL he bought a
good basket and had IL returned, II does
not cost more than one cent "A basket to
market peaches, II you buy a good basket
and have II returned, the peach grower and
shipper and railroad companys, that take
the fruit To market should act harmonf-
ously together. The railroad company
carrying at as low freight as they can af-
iord TO- And the shippers not ordering any
more cars than they can possibly make
out with. Peaches of late years sell for
low prizes, and are likely 10 do so. AS to
the sales of few baskets of an extra
variety they should not be blowed about
IN the papers, as these prices are exceptions
and calculated 10 mislcdd the public.
SAMUEL OWNSEND.
Townsend, Feb. 20, 1873.
Papers of the Peninsula favorable to the
peach business, please copy.