Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1886-11-19

4 Ii VII mus W IlOl bC III
| the market as perishable, and there will
be an end to refuse lots on account OF
decay"
He said he was now ready to contract
with individuals or private companies.
WHAT IT WILL COST.
He would put up the receiving houses,
for which he would charge 81 per cubic
foot. A thousand-dollar house would pre-
serve carload lots. The principal outlay
was ice. The fruit did not require handling.
excepting the placing of the packages in the
receiving house and The taking Of them out
again. This process was as equally useful
in preserving vegetables and meats as il
was fruits. He related many instances
where he had preserved in this manner for
weeks and months berries and fruits, and
of his laying the same down in New York
city in perfect condition. He called upon
Mr.. Hatch and several gentlemen present
who knew of those experiments, to testify
to the truth OF his statements, which they
did.
Afternoon Session.
A committee of ten was appointed to wait
upon the railroad company and ask for
better shipping facilities and cheaper
freights, as follows: Messrs. Weinstock,
Buck, Wilcox, Williams, Butler, Stabler,
1hCChf oiOSOiNf AIiuCiSOil L idats
The question of fruit shipments was then
taken up.
A resolution was passed to the effect that
no one should be allowed to speak more
than five minutes at one time, nor more
than twice upon the same subject, unless
by unanimous consent.
THE wEINsTocK RESOLUTIONS.
The resolutions offered by II. Weinstock
H., oh fNIlh rSh od
in full in the REcoRD-U UNION of Thursday,
were then taken up and the entire after
noon devoted to their consideration. Mr..
Weinstock explained them and asked that
some of the shippers present be asked to
address the Convention.
2. Z. Platt of the firm of Strong & Co.,
was called upon. He said the main and
only question to be solved is that of trans
portation. Four years ago oranges were
glut on the market and the Los Angeles
crop sold here and in San Francisco for
from so cents to 81 box. A change came
over the market two years ago. when the
railroad company reduced freights on or
anges East from S400 to 5000 car. When
the railroad company sees that it is clearly
their interest to make reduction, they
make it. They saw they could not get to
handle that freight without reduction,
ate change, and in less than two months
there were buyers for all the crop. In 1882
they sold, picked and packed, at 80 cents
box. Last year they sold for 81 box on
the trees. Land in the Los Angeles section
advanced from 500 an acre to 81 900.
That advance in price of fruit and
value of land is largely, if not wholly,
due to the reduction in freights.
Last year we got a considerable reduction
in freight in this section on other fruits.
This was due to the Fruit Union and ship
pers' combined effort to that end. The
only object of the California Fruit-Growers'
Association was to get the requisite num-
Der of cars together, to make up the pre-
scribed train, and escape the 5 per cent that
the California Fruit Union wanted to i'm
pose upon shippers. The California Union
wanted to put everything into one mans
hands-Mr. Porter. They would make
monopolist of one man. Get low freights,
and you need no fruit organization. Then
there will be hundreds of buyers from the
East, backed by millions of coin. What
we want is better cars. quicker time and
lower rates of freight He said he would
not ship fruit to the East on commission.
Mr.. Weinstock said unless there was a
proper distribution made of the Eastern
shipments at this end, Eastern markets
would be glutted in some localities, and
others would go bare.
Mr.. Williams thought Mr.. Platt had
struck the keynote. All we want is plenty
of buyers and cheap freights. That will
give US market for all our fruits, and that
is what we most desire.
Mr. Weinstock said if we want our fruit
properly distributed We must have local
agent in every town of any considerable
size east of the Rocky Mountains. Last
season, while California grapes were rot
ting in Chicago, they were selling for so
cents pound in Philadelphia. California
grapes have no competitor in the Eastern
markets. As many California grapes are
sold in Chicago, at ten cents pound, as
there are of all the other varieties COM
bined, and which are sold at three pounds
for ten cents.
Mr.. Block said he was now sure that Mr..
Porter was the master of the California
Fruit Union, and not its servant. He was
confident from what he had learned, that
q secret arrangement or contract existed
between Porter & Co. of Chicago and New
York firms which was in direct violation
of the contract entered into with the Fruit
Union BY Mr.. Porter. Let rs push aside
all such agents, or rather bosses. Let US
unite with the shippers aud all pull to-
gether. The interest of one is the interest
of the other. Let us not fight those whose
interests are our own and not put too
much faith i'll ope-man rule.
Mr.. Aiken said be wss fav0rab'y i'm
pressed with the resolution OF Mr. Vein
stock. 1t was an able production, and its
author deserved the thanks CT the fruit
growers of the State, for his uniiring efforts
to solve this most important question. He
hoped that all differences between shippers
and growers, and sectional feelings, would
be buried.
Mr. Block was opposed to the resolution
that recommended an auction OF ship
ments in the East. He feared that their
returns would not be satisfactory.
Mr.. Aiken said all the Mediterranean
and Florida fruits for the Eastern markets
were sold by auction, and the grower got
all his fruit brought, except the auction
GERS commission. California's is the only
fruit sold in the East that is not disposed
of in this manner.
Mr.. Blowers thought it would work well
in Chicago, New York, Philadelphia and
Baltimore, but in Cleveland and smaller
cities it would not work so well. The Cal
ifornia growers had not sufficiently edu-
| Gated themselves upon the subject OF East
ern methods as to be able to take advantage
OF them.
Judge Blackwell explained the auction
system as proposed. He SAID carload
would be put up. The first bid would be
the choice for sixty boxes; the next a
choice for another sixty boxes, out of what
was left, and so on. Ii is not new idea,
it is not an experiment, and is one in
which the grower will get at all times the
full market value of his fruit.
The resolutions were then read with the
various amendments and additions, and
adopted as whole. They are as follows:
Resolred That the fruitgrowers Of California,
assembled in State Convention, do hereby call
the attention OF the California railroad authori-
ties to the present serious condition of affairs in
the fruit industry, and express the hope that
| the action of this Convention may awaken a
| deeper interest on their part in the crisis at
| hand u is to be trusted that they realize as
fully as we do that frutgrowing, far as it lies
| in the power of transportation companies,
| should be made profitable industry. 1t is use
| less to look for much desirable emigration so
| long as fruit culture. which has now become
| one of our chief industries, does not. with the
| closest attention, yield living. Fruit carrying
| should be looked upon by California Transports
ton companies as nails are regarded by the
| hardware merchant, calico by the dry goods
| trade, and -four aud sugar by the grocer In
other words fruit should be treated by the rail-
reads of this coast not as fancy article, to be
made TO bear a fancy tariff, but as a leading
staple, worthy to be transported at the least pos
| sible cost.
| ResotTed That a committee of ten growers and
shippers be appointed by this Convention TO lay
! a copy of these resolutions before the railroad
authorities and ask: First, that the present re-
strictous be modified that ten carloads or less