Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1885-11-11

| From the foregoing exhibit of shipments of
California green fruits eastward for the year
| 1885 up to october list, we deduce that, had the
| frIlit-grOwers been organized as to have con
tracted for special fruit trains they could easily
| have loaded such trains at least often as
every alternate day, and thus have secured the
| freight on this fruit at rates probably not over
| half what they have paid. At 500 per car for
freight trains and 5000 for passenger trains, the
fruit has paid S499 400 freight, while under the
| proposed organization, which alone renders
| possible the procurement by contract of special
fruit tIainS at rate of $500 per car, the fruit
would have paid S307 800 freight, saving to the
fruit growers of Sl9l, 900 supposing the fruit all
| went by such special fruit trains on fast time
Fand none went by the slower ordinary freight
train. Besides this the lower freight rate thus
attalnable would have permitted OF the pTOfita-
bic shipment of very considerable quantity of
green fruit which was not marketed at all this
season, but spoiled in the growers orchard be-
cause it could not find any profit in going to
market AT existing freight costs.
The statement also shows that not one single
| carload was shipped direct to New York Bos-
| ton Philadelphia or other of the large Atlantic
centerS of population. Such supplies as reached
| this Atlantic coast population naturally very
| large consumers of fruits because non-producers
| and largely possessed of the means to buy must
| havo come to them at second hands through
Chicago. Can it be doubted, in face of this
showing that with proper organization which,
by cheap treightS and direct shipments keep
ing up regular supply in these markets will
afford California fruits as cheaply as they have
heretofore been afforded in Chicago, there will
De Created an enormous outlet iOr California
fruits? We believe it undeniable that such will
prove to be the case, and that these markets
may thus be developed SO as to at least double
the total consumption of California fruits We
believe, also, that the middle country, which
has been, thus far, proportonally the best de-
yeloped will, under the stimulus of lower prices
and regular supplies. consume largely increased
quantities over what it is now taking, and we
feel the most confident justification in saying to
the iruitgrowers of California that it only needs
their united action in organizing their business
n these most DrOfita HE rpsnlfc Nrb oh
now, for lack of business-like organization are
entirely escaping them.
Referring to the statement of eastward ship
ments of California green fruits. we call atten-
ton to the fact that the business of shipping
compacts itself into only seven terminal ship
ping points; that eight-tenths of the whole
shipment is handled at one terminal point, viz:
Sacramento; that over nine tenths of the total
is handled at the two terminals-Sacramento
and San Jose.
This in itself, we think, furnishes a conclusive
answer TO those who dwell upon the difficulties
of operating the proposed Union because of the
wide extent OF field it must cover
We are confident that this difficulty is mag
mary and will entirely disappear under good
business organization. We are well aware, of
course, that not all the cars dispatched from
these two points were actually loaded there,
but from these points, as nucleus, all the
loading, at the adjacent points of production,
can be readily and systematically supervised,
and transportation on time reliably pre- ar
ranged.
Asking the thoughtful consideration of all the
foregoing facts by all fruit-growers, we now beg
to submit to them our conclusions, viz:
!. We, more than ever before urge upon them
the absolute necessity OF a cooperative union,
and we repeat our recommendation for the in
corporation of the California Fruit Union in
substantially the manner contemplated by the
resolutions of your Convention of September
"a, 1885. We have, in the course of our commu-
nicatious with individual fruit-growers, who
are also shippers, received many suggestions
worthy of careful consideration, and some of
them we have decided to recommend to the
adoption OF your convention as modltcatlons OF
the plan originally under debate. Namely: We
recommend that the privilege of subscription to
capital stock of the Union be extended to own
of acreage of small fruits and of vegetables,
for we are convinced that these may find large
markets in the East under the facilities of the
Union-the former in some form of the now so
successful cold storage car and the latter in
ordinary cars suitable for their safe transporta-
ton but at rates of freight less than fruit rates
| and specially to be arranged hereafter with the
transportation companies, who promise every
encouragement to this particular interest when
organized, in order to build up trade. The
business thus created would be most valuable
adjunct, as it would furnish freight to go with
the early fruits at time when freight is needed
| to make up trains.
| 2. We recommend that the privilege of sub
scription TO capital stock of the Union be eX-
tended to owners OF orchards of all kinds,
whether Eastern shippers or not, since many
such owners have expressed desire to join the
| Union because its operations in extending
| Eastern shipments would, by relieving the local
| markets, largely benefit them in their local
sales.
s. We recommend that the privilege of sub
scription to the stock of the Union be not lin
| iteo to acreage already bearing, for even though
| acreage be not yet in bearing, it will at once
/ reap large benefits from the Union" and many
| owners of such acreage desire to subscribe.
| f. We recommend that stockholders of the
| Union be allowed the option of selling their
| fruit to the Union at a mutually agreed price,
duly loaded in the cars at point of shipment,
| should they prefer it to shipping through the
Union to consumption markets and taking
\ actual avails of sales.
| 5. We recommend that stockholders of the
| Union, who, besides being fruit-growers have
been also fruit shippers on their own account
| to Eastern consumption market, may in any
| shipments they may make through the Union
name the point of destination and the party to
| whom consigned of their fruit, provided that
vision, to avoid, so far as possible duplicate
| shipments to same destination and consequent
loss to both shippers.
| 6. We recommend that the number of Trustees
of the Union be increased to nine, so that each
locality may be represented.
| z. We recommend that stockholders of the
| Union, who have outstanding contracts for
their produce in advance, may be permitted to
fill such contracts through the Union, designat-
ing the delivery of said produce to the desiina-
ton and parties TO whom it is already so con-
tracted.
! g. We recommend that in the division of the
net profits of the '' Union there be allotted 10
the stockholders of the Union dividends of not
exceeding six per cent. per annum on their
stock: next. that there be allotted two per cent.
| to permanent reserve fund of the Union, and
that all the remaining profits be divided among
the subscribers to the Union consigning produce
| through said Union prOportionately to the
| amount OF produce so consigned the intent be
ing to make the Union essentially co-opera-
tion" for the profit of fruit-growers.