Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1885-10-14

wise if they want to serve their own inter-
ests, for let the small grower remember
that he is now the balance-wheel. Califor-
MIA might do without the large grower, but
shecannot exist without the small ones. She
MUST HAVE A DENSE POPULATION,
And that right away or she will be in the
fix (she is in the fix of the hotel man
spoken of before.
Gro.-Well, Mr.. Merchant, l like your
views very much, but certain men say to
US that shipping fruit in quarter car
tition with itself. Don't YOU think it
would?
Mer.-Who says so; are they merchants?
Gro.-No; but theorists and journalists.
Mer.-I thought so. Why don't you ask
them if quarter carloads are to bring the
fruits into competition with themselves,
will not the arrival of fruit corporation
train with the several cars of the Spectator
tackled on behind make the fur fly? Dur
ing the Presidential campaign of 1877
Greeley and Brown were the Democratic
| nominees. Thomas Mast, caricaturist of
HdrperS Weekly, made it rule in caraci-
Gratz Brown, the nominee for Vice-Presi-
dent, as a monkey tied to Greeley's coat
| tail; and so you will find the speculator, he
| will always be found close on the heels OF
| the fruit corporation train. You can not
ward off the speculator, he will make
more money by bearing" the corporation
| than by any other method. He will
manipulate so as to compel the corporation
| agent to sell at loss, and the agent of the
speculator will buy what is sold at loss
and make big profit on it.
| Gro.-How would it do to ego into ca
| hoois," as it were, to use slang, with the
speculator? If we did that, wouldn't we
overcome every difficulty?
| Mer.-Well, no. 1t or course would be
| just in the line of the Spectator to accept
reluctantly, as it were, your trust; but
| broad smile would sillumine his counten-
ance at the thought of your intensely disin-
terested verdancy, for you would give him
| a larger income than he can possibly make
now, and without dime of risk, for he
will cease to be a buyer, and simply be-
comes your consignee. Besides if you buy
! off one speculator you will find SO many
more to buy off that there will not be
money enough in the United States Treas
ury to go around. In my Judgment this
| talk of the fruit coming into competi-
ton with itself is gotten up
! rag man. scarecrow, such as you farmers
put up to brighten birds with. You are
! alarmed at bugaboo. 1t is unimportant
who originated this scarecrow-many, how
ever, surmise whence it came It NAV,
perhaps, be swallowed down by those who
have had no commercial experience, but to
those who have, the idea is simply absurd.
No doubt many believe it; no doubt many
truths and lies are mixed up to give the
| idea " coloring;;" but what cotton manu-
facturer or shoe manufacturer will insist in
| stuffing market with trainloads of his
manufacture, because quarter carloads will
| come into competition with itself?
Gro.-You evidently misunderstood the
case. The directors referred to do moi
mean to say that smaller lot will be more
/ apt to come
| INTO COMPETITION WITH ITSELF
Than larger lot. 1t is not a question so
much of quantity, as of the number of
independent sellers. There have been
instances where half dozen sellers came
| into direct competition in the same town
the result was there was too much fruit,
and the sellers being anxious to dispose OF
the same quickly, i" slashed" away the
fruit for a song. Now, if one certain firm
had the distribution of same right from
the hands of the grower, could he not adj
just or balance his business so evenly as to
guard against sending an oversupply into
any town? Thus there would be no such
thing as fruit coming into competition with
J itself. Now, don't you think there is force
| in the objection?
Mer.-Certainly not; and l shall con-
tinue to think SO until each and every
State in the Union passes law prohibiting
any person from forwarding, selling or
consigning California fruit except author
lied to do SO in writing by the President OF
the California Fruit-Growers' Association
Do you think this can be done?
Gro.-Why, no.
Mer,-Then the directors have no ground
upon which to sustain their arguments, for
nothing will prevent our friend, the specu-
tator, from bearing" the market to his
hearts content. Besides this, will there
not be any amount of fruit sent East by
many growers who would not be members
of the Association? Thus, in spite of the
foresight or wisdom of the best of Directors,
you will have fruit in competition with
Itself by the corporation plan. What the
growers are evidently trying to do is to
lplace their fruit as the cotton manufact-
urers place their cotton. The Hope, Lones-
! dale, White Rock, Lawrence and other
companies co1sign all their cottons to a
regularly appointed agent in New York or
Boston. These agents watch the tendency
of the market, and fix prices accordingly
You will observe here that, whereas no
other house receives piece of White Rock
or Lonesdale from the factory except that
of the regularly appointed agent, no such
law can be applied to the fruit question.
Gro.-But how about the corporation OF
cheesemakers of New York? They have
certainly made success.
Mer.-True, there is no denying that
many corporations have made success
But your fruit question does not fit the
case of cotton, cheese, or even the Florida
orange case. Remember, there is this great
difference in the articles Cotton, cheese,
and even oranges will keep, the latter ii
not long, will for at least a short time, but
your peaches and grapes must be eaten al
most when at destination, and often long
before, and if they are not eaten in time
they rot. Don't you see?
Gro.-Yes, / see. But what am I to do ?
Mer.-1n my judgment the best thing
you and the balance of the growers who
have from 10 to 200 acres can do, is to ask
the railroad company to reduce the freight
to $500 per car and to permit you
! To SHIP IN SMALL QUANTITIES,
No more than quarter of carload at a
time, and, if possible, in eighths.
Gro.-Supposing they do, what then ?
| Won't we be swindled right and left; won't
itself? To whom are we to sell?
Mer.-Yes all these things are likely to
happen, but then something else will hap
pen. In short time you will learn how
you may sell to the best advantage,
and you will find an unexpected
law come into operation. Now take this
piece of paper and pencil, and put down
! the following How many pounds of fruit
| in quarter of carload
Gro.-About 5000.
Mer.-What would be the average price
OF, say peaches, per pound, including
boxes
Gro.-About cents.
Mer.-Now multiply the by 5000 how
much have you?
| Gro.-S100.
Mer;-Now add s75-cost of quarter car
for freight.
| Gro.-That is $175.
Mer.-Now add s25 for incidental ex-
| penses.
Gro.-Well, that makes 500.
| Mer-NoW how much have Ynu2