Middletown transcript., 1878-03-16
Enr tha AIiddIntnun Transcri


Mr.. EDITOR Il see in the last
number of your paper a correspond
ence between the chairman Of the
Committee Of Five" appointed at the
late Peach Growers Meeting, in Mid
dIetown, Del, and Mr.. Hinckley, Pres
ident of P. w. & B. r. r. Mr.. Hinck-
ley says it is too soon to make freight
rates for peaches. As that is his an
swer he cannot hereafter deny that the
courtesy was first shown to his road to
arrange rates of freight as far as his
road reached-Philadelphia. The bu-
siness of the committee now should be
to see the officers Of the P. G. r. t.,
and know their lowest freight rates
from Philadelphia to New York, or
Jersey City, and ferry rates included
also, rates North and West. The
committee should see the officers ofthe
new route from Philadelphia to New
York via Bound Brook, and get their
lowest freight rates from Willow Street
Wharf, Philadelphia, to New York, at
Liberty Street. Also, the committee
should ascertain what peaches could
be freighted for, per basket, out Of the
creeks to Willow Street Wharf, Phila-
delphia, for in all probability the peach
trade from Delaware to New York,
owing to the high freights exacted by
the p. w. & B. r and ?. 9. Z. r.,
will be driven to the use of water to
get to Willow Street Wharf, Philadel-
phia, and be reshippsd from there to
New York by the Bound Brook route
as it was done several years ago via
Camden and Amboy. In my opinion
the answer of Mr.. Hinckly has relieved
the committee from any obligation tC
await his convenience or, in other
words, give him time to fern combina
tions with other roads, as last year
to set freight rates, and when they
were set it was so near the peach ship
ping season that the peach growers hao
to submit, or lose their crop. The
railroad company was shown the price:
that growers got for peachers, but the
said companies did not rebate one cent
Now it is to be hoped the peach grow
ers will have the good sense to profir
by the lesson the railroad companiei
taught them last year, and in regarc
to shipping peaches, no sane grower
will propose giving away the basket
for if baskets could be made for five OIL
six cents no bona fde peach grower
would engage them at that price before
be knew whether he needed any, o.
how many, and that cannot be told ol
fairly guessed at until the middle OF
last of June; and then suppose busi
ness revives and there was show fol
two and half or three million bas
kets, no basket companies could take
the risk beforehand, or furnish three
millions Of baskets in eight or ter
weeks. Competition Of peach grower;
might send baskets up to twenty OF
twenty-five cents each, whereas the OLD
plan Of buying a good basket, it does
not cost over one cent a basket to ship
peaches, and the commission men in
New York require a deposit for the
amount Of the basket, and then lei
each shipper have a few cars with his
name and place on, especially to pur
in empty baskets to be returned for re
filling, and for every empty basket the
commission man failed to return make
him pay for it. And further, break
up or lesson that enormous cartagt
charge from Jersey City to New York
and, in my opinion, now is the time
for the committee to make a bargain
that will secure justice to the peacf
grower, or make it his plain duty tC
abandon peach growing.
SAMUEL TOWNSEND.
Townsend, Del, March 13, 1878.