Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1880-09-11
The SACK Question to be Settled.

1t has been big question for California
wheat farmers how to get rid of the expense
of sending their grain to market in sacks.
This expense has been burdensome one
when the farmers were obliged to pay fair
price for sacks, but when dealers, seeing
short supply, dubbed together and put up
job on the farmers, or in The more polite
language of the craft, made corner on sacks
and compelled the payment of heavy adj
vance, simply because they could, the bur-
den has become almost unbearsble. The
farmers have been talking about trying to
bring about change in this respect for
years, but each harvest has found them still
in the same helpless condition, and obliged
to pay round prices for sacks to put their
wheat in. Often crops have been sold when
the cost of sacks has absorbed the last dollar
of profits in the production of the crop.
When the grange was started In Califor-
MIA, one Of the greatest inducements held out
to wheat growers was that of making
grand combination of those who would have
to buy sacks and order them direct from the
manufacturers in Scotland, or what was sup
posed would be still better, it was said by
associated effort and capital the growing of
jute and the manufacture Of sacks in this
State could be made a success but the farm
ers have still to buy their sacks and pay
whatever the greed of monopolists may de-
mand. But now the day is near at hand
when this sack question will be settled, and
in a direction and by an agency least ex-
pected. The Southern Pacific Railroad is to
be the means and California capital the
power that is to relieve the farmers of this
burdensone tax on their enterprise and in
dustry. When the Southern Pacific is COM
pleted through to the Gulf of Mexico the
route of the wheat crop of California to Eu-
rope viii be changed. Instead of going
around the Horn it viii go over
land over the Southern Pacific to
Galveston, and not in sacks, but in bulk.
When there it viii be hoisted into elevators
from the cars, and from the elevators it will
be carried by machinery into the ships and
delivered from these ships into the ware
houses at Liverpool. The cost of sacks and
large part of the presen. cost Of handling
will then be avoided, and the growers will
get the benefit of it. In from two to five
years from this date the great wheat crop Of
this coast will so in this way to its destina-
ton, and then we may expect to see new
era in the development Of this country. In
order to get some idea of this sack tare we
will state that the wheat crop alone in this
State this year viii be rot less than 80, 600 coo
bushels or l6,5OO,0OO sacks. At ten cents
apiece these sacks will cost the farmers the
sum OF S1,650,0OO. Add this to the profits OF
the wheat producers each year and we will
soon begin TO see prosperity where We
now see constant struggle to pay interest and
expenses. Besides this, other questions Of
almost equal Importance to the farmers of
this State are about to be settled by the com
pletion Of the Southern Pacific Railroad. San
Francisco has always been the most expen-
sive port in the world from which to ship the
produce Of the country. The wheat Of the
entire State will pass right by San Francisco
in the cars of this road without paying to that
city cent Of toll. The cars will take the
grain direct from the local warehouses and
land it IN the elevators on the Gulf of Mex
leo, and from the local warehouse it viii only
be reshipped once bsfore it reaches the ware
houses in Liverpool, and the entire work Of
this reshipment viii be done ty machinery at
small expense