Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-08-02
FiAsECED BY MIDDLE MEN
TRUCK GROWERS COMPLAIN
ING or POOR PRICES.

Northern Commission Merchants Re
eponstble Tor the Small Profits on
Southern Produce Growers in Favor
OF AbandoriuE the Commtssien Aeen-
cies and Selling their Truck at Auction
The truck planters are complaining
loudly this year about the poor prices re-
ceiyed for vegetables IN Northern markets
q believe 1t is worse this year than
ever BEFORE" said well-known grower
yesterday. "The commission men appear
to be getting more ayaricious every year.
Il used to be that they were content with
a good round percentage OF the
sales. Now they take about all
and leave the growers less than
tair commission. New York gets the bulk
OF the Neeetab les and early fruits shipped
from this State, aud indeed from every
other part Of this country. 4 few years
ago that city was supplied from Long ls-
land, New Jersey, aud nelghhor,ng terri
tory. Now thu parly vegetables are sent
from the South. We are ttom As to y
hours distant iron New York in
point OF time. While our ship
ments 4re on the way a train-load or
ship-load may arrive aud glut the market
That Is the explanation that is gener-
ally offered. Prices may be good one day
ana low the next.
EARLY in the season | shipped by
steamer one day over a hundred barrels
of new potatoes, dozen crates OF goose
plums, and l6 barrels Ofcucumbers. After
waiting six weeks the commission man
returned a check tor Sl26. The freight,
commission and crates amounted to about
$50, and 1t took all that was left
20 pay the labor. Goose plums
that sold for So 90 per bushel here brought
only 81 80 in New York. From the re-
turns everything else sold at less than
one-half the market price here. The mid
Elemen are fleeing US openly and we
cannot help 1t. Large quantities of vege-
tables persisted this season and much en-
tered the market badly damaged"
'Cannot some remedy be deYised!"
asked the reporter.
81 could suggest" replied the gentle
man, ''that the growers have their truck
sold at auction on the dock as soon as un-
loaded. The transaction would be public
and the prices would be quoted in the
papers. We could thus see what our pro-
duce sold for"
"Why not establish a bureau on the |
plan Of the one organized by the Florida |
orange groWers:p was suggested.
THAT has been tried two or three times, |
but the agents wanted to make too much |
money out of 1t. We might as well be |
cheated by the commission men as robbed |
by agents. In my opinion, the most feast |
bic plan is to employ an auoti0neer and |
have everything sold in public"
Other growers made the same CON- !
plant when asked about the returns they
are getting from New York, Philadelphia |
and Baltimore. They have about |
come TO the conclusion that all of
the middlemen are rascals and
cheat the shipper out of his produce |
returning to him often not enough to |
pay the freight. This is the experience |
of nearly all Of the planters in East and !
South Georgia and Florida.
Tie complaint is general and truckers |
say that they Will have to do differently |
in the future. The greed of the middle |
man viii drive the growers to abandon
them as agents.
Another grower, in stating his ex-
perience, was equally as severe upon the |
commission men. He lost heavily, |
he stated, on tomatoes and beans,
picked during the heavy rains
some time ago. One lot of 800 packages
OF beans heated and were spoiled. Hum
dreds OF packages of vegetables, chiefly
tomatoes, potatoes and beans, have been
thrown overheard from the steamships
before entering the ports Of Philadelphia, !
New York and Boston.
The truck-growers have an association, |
and kilograms are received daily from the
Northern markets. Unfortunately it /
gives Only the price on the day OF sale. |
W hat the grower wants to know most is |
- bat prices are to be two or three days |
ahead.
A Florida orange-grower mas hit upon !
plan which might pay the large truck |
growers. X goes to New York and sells |
his own fruit.
The organization of a bureau or some !
thing 10 take the place of the middleman,
Is unanimously favored and the sugges-
tion that seems best will secure the sup |
port Of all Of the growers.