The Palatka daily news. (Palatka, Fla.) 1884-1888, 1886-05-07
RElGuTCHARGESON ORANGES
Interesting Letter from II Prominent
Orange Grower on the Subject.

Interesting Letter from u Prominent
, Orange Grower on the Subject.
Elltor pALAysA Nkw>:
, The article in the DAILY NEWS of
April Goth on freight rate, in which YOU
show how Florida orange growers are
Disseminated against by the yarions
transportation companies running east.
was timely and to the point. am sure
every orange grower will thank you for
agltating the important question, and il
the press OF our State generally Will only
discuss the subject and join in with you
in your demand for lower freight rates
on oranges. have little doubt but what
the railroad and steamship companies
will revise the freight tariff now in ac-
cordance with present rates from the
East to this State. What an outrage it
is that the Florida orange growers should
be compelled to pay over twice the
amount to have his fruit carried to mar
ket to what his competition does for like
service. Florida has been very generous
in giving her lands to tho various rail.
roads in the State. Il any difference is
made in rates, surely it ought to be in
favor OF the Floridians who have subsi.
died the roads and are by far their
largest patrons. Past experience Ger.
tainly compels me to agree with the
writer OF the article. that railroad man.
ayers do not fix their freigh, charges
on oranges going North, on u basis of
cos, and profit But how much will the
community stand
The same discrimination against the
Fior'lian is seen in the tariff charges on
for instance. freight on pota.
toes per barrel To my wharf from New |
York. forty cents; from my wharf to |
New York, eighty cents. To one unac.
1uainted with railroad management II |
would appear to be policy on the part of |
the railroad managers 10 encourage truck.
ing instead of driving the people from
this business, by excessive freight |
charges as they are yearly doing, Daring
the past nine years have known many
who came To the State sure of making
their pile in the course of few years by
growing vegetables for sale in the North.
ern markets. One or two years expert.
ance has convinced them of their error.
True they can and have raised crops of
cukes, cabbage, tomatoes, potatoes, etc.,
which compared favorable both in quan-
lity and quality with any produced in
other States, but some how they did not
realize tho hard cash which they had fig
lred outwould I've sure to come to them
for their labor and enterprise. When
hey commenced they failed to realize
The heavy freight charges which had to
De paid no matter how little the produce
sold for. cannot to-day call to mind
but one man who has continued in the
business on anything like large scale
and he has lost more or less each year
with possible one OF two exceptions. our
people will be wise until they ale treated
'airly and justly, to give over entirely
'aising vegetables fot shipment. II they
will concentrate their efforts to raising
zach on his own place all that they reed
n the way Of meat, vegetables and fruit,
md marketing what they have over in
he local stores and nearby markets,
stop shipping potatoes North in
Nay and sending North for potatoes in
they will he richer, happier
md more contented.
Yours respectfully,
r. I1t<i,