Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1886-10-30

was such an auction sale to-InorroW, anu
you needed California fruits, and could get
them in no other way, do you pretend to
say you would keep away knowing your
neighbor would be present, and knowing
that he would supply the trade you would
be obliged to turn away empty handed
from your doors?"
well, must admit that if | needed
California fruits, as l certainly would, hav-
ing established large trade on them, and
could get them in no other way, should,
of course attend such auction sales. But
the question is: Can you get the Califor-
mia growers and shippers to agree to sell
their fruits in that way, and would they be
willing to take the risk of having their
fruit slaughtered 2"
Would the risk be as great under the
present system? Let US imagine that the
plan of selling all California fruits by auc-
ton was now in operation that the Cali
fornia growers and shippers had united,
were enjoying 5300-rate with fewer cars
TO the train than now, and that their trains
were running on passenger schedule in
stead of the present precarious and uncer-
tain time OF transit. Under these
circumstances, the 400 crates OF the
San Jose grower, which you sold but
Yesterday for fifty cents a crate, would
have reached st. Paul Friday morn
ing in place of late Saturday afternoon, with
freight charges at 81! cents instead OF 10
cents per crate. Granting even that, from
unavoidable causes, the train was delayed
in transit and failed to reach its destination
earlier than Saturday evening, thus post
poning the sale until Monday morning, is
it not reasonable to suppose, with lhe fruit
BUYERS from 100 miles or more centered in
your store on that Monday morning, and
with the natural business competition and
jealousies usually existing, that these 400
crates would have sold for much more than
so cents crate? True, that even as early
as Monday morning this lot of grapes was
in poor condition, but it certainly was in
better condition than on the following
Thursday, and for that reason alone would
certainly have realized perhaps double the
amount you now hold to the credit of the
grower. AS for the question whether
GROWERS AND SHIPPERS WILL AGREE
To sell their fruits at auction, why should
they not? What protection have they now,
and how could the conditions be worse
than at present? Has it not been demon
strated that with two factions in the field,
viz: the growers and the shippers the plan
of shipping 15-carload lots at a time is
highly disastrous And as result has not
the Fruit Union discontinued dispatching
have they not been sending from two to
three carloads daily at passenger rates
Furthermore, by the present system is not
the vast market east of Chicago choked and
limited, and has not California fruit in and
west of Chicago been brought into fierce
competition with itself while yet the prop
erty of growers and shippers? Whereas,
if the proposed plan is put into operation,
there is a strong probability that the COM
bined influence of shippers and growers
will secure better railroad terms and i'm
proved transportation facilities; will thor
oughly develop the vast and almost I'M
touched market east of Chicago; will
create the strongest competition among the
buyers, instead of as now among the
sellers, and by the holding of prompt auc-
ton sales Immediately after the arrival of
the fruit will insure minimum loss of
fruit by decay. Hence, when there is SO
much to gain and so little to lose, why
should growers or shippers hesitate to unite
and agree upon uniform method of sell
ing all their fruits by auction ?"
"All this is admittedly true, but may
not the fear of auction buyers combining
in order to depress prices and to secure Cal
ifornia fruits at their own figures, keep
shippers and growers from offering their
| fruits at auction ?"
attempted, such thing as q combination
on the part OF auction buyers has thus far
proven impossible on Mediterranean fruits,
| and would prove equally impossible if at
| tempted against California fruits. Auction
! fruit sales are attended by from so to 300
| buyers, each equally anxious to secure the
| first choice. This fact, together with the
natural competition among city buyers,
and the further competition between city
and out-of-town buyers, make the chances
| of combination very slender if not impos-
| sible."
At the close of this interview both men,
| bers of the firm of QnackenbosS & Harlow
| frankly admitted that their opinions had
undergone q change, and they had come TO
the conclusion that selling California fruits
by auction is the only proper way to mar
ket such products in the East.
ME-. PoRTER's VIEWS.
Washington Porter, of Porter Bros Co.
of Chicago, after thoroughly discussing the
| idea, spoke in substance as follows:
THE plan of selling California fruits by
| auction ought to succeed, and is worthy Of
fair trial provided: First, that concert
of action between growers and shippers is
secured and both agree TO sell only by auc-
ton second, that the California manage
ment so successfully gauge this market that
| the supplies Of fruit forwarded to the vari
| Gus distributing points do not exceed the
demand. But | should advise the growers,
in any event, not to burn their bridge be-
| hind them. In other words, if they adopt
the auction plan, let them be prepared with
some other method to put into prompt
operation should this one fail"
OTHER FAVORABLE POINTS.
The policy that may be pursued under
| the plan of selling by auction is such that
shippers and growers may enjoy the widest
possible latitude consistent with regulated
distribution The prospective united or
| ganization of shippers and growers may.
| through its directory, select as many dis
| tributing points as in their judgment will
| thoroughly cover the Eastern territory.
Agents can be appointed at each Of these
points, with instructions that all fruit con-
signed to them shall be sold only by public
auction.
Where growers or shippers have no
preference, the general manager stationed
| at the California shipping point shall use
his best judgment and forward shipments
TO the most desirable point, consigning
them to the agent of the Union at that
place. But all growers or shippers should
be permitted, not alone to name shipping
points but also their own consignees, and
it should be the duty OF the general man.
ager to carry out such wishes. provided the
shipments to certain points do not exceed
the demand. To ILLUSTRATE If it should be
found that the city of Denver, for instance,
can use TO advantage but one carload day,
it should be the duty of the manager to so
regulate shipments that not to exceed that
quantity is forwarded to that point within
- hours. Those having preference for
Denver as market and making the earl
lest application should receive the first
preference for space in the Denver car, and
so on. until the car is filed, when further
applications for space for that point and on
that day of shipment must be denied. II
may frequently happen that carload of
fruit shipped to any one point may contsin
a consignment to the agent of the Fruit
Union and several other consignments TO
various commission houses in the same
place. These various consignees should
place their letters of advice in the hands OF
some one auctioneer who is to prepare d
complete catalogue, giving the brands,
quantities, varieties, and names of con-
| signees The entire carload Is 10 be sold at
1.-THE same hour and place; the auctioneer's
charges 10 be paid By the commission