Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1886-05-22
FRUIT MARKETING.
Responsive Letter from the California
Fruit Growers Association.

FRUIT MAHkEIlNG.
Responsive Letter from the California
Fruit Growers Association.
We published letter last week ad-
dressed by VIM. II. Mills to the President
of the California Fruit-Growers' Associa-
ton, concerning the marketing of our
fruits, and obtaining at the East demand
for them, which would absorb our large
and increasing production. We are per-
mitted to publish the response of the Presi-
dent of the Fruit-Growers' Association to
the letter referred to:
DEAR SIR: Your favor of Yesterday re-
ceived and contents carefully considered
and in reply will say that Ialmost wholly
indorse the sentiments therein contained.
The object of the California Fruit Grow
ers' Association is to accomplish that
which you say should be done, to wit !:
First, to create a demand, and, second. to
establish market for such quality of our
fruit at the East as will make it impossible
for our growers to overstock ii.
Senator Stanford is reported to have said
to the fruit-growers, at the meeting in San
Francisco, that when combination was
effected sufficient to make up train lots of
fifteen cars each to the markets of the East,
reduction would be made in freight
rates TO $500 per car-or less if necessary
and special fruit trains would be put on
and run so as to reach destination on pas
senger time. We believe that such a re-
duction in freight will alone solve the
whole question of marketing our fruit.
1t Will put it in Eastern markets at such
prices as will place it within the reach of
all, and thus give us 50000,000 more con-
sumers and when a demand is created
there will be no trouble about distribution,
for then the demand will be greater than
the supply, and the merchants of the larger
cities, like New York, Cincinnati, st. Louis,
Pittsburg, Chicago, Kansas City and others.
Will soon provide ways and means to Sc
cure as much of our fruit as possible, in
order to supply the wants of their Gus
toners.
reduction in freight. without a CORE
spending increase in the facilities for trans
porting a much larger quantity of 1ruit
than has found Eastern markets in the
past, will not prove beneficial to our grow
ers in common. | am informed that the
passenger trains, during the busy part of
last season, hauled all the cars they posi-
bly, could, and at a 5000 rate Therefore. it
necessarily follows that if the railroad
should reduce the rate to 500 per car. or
carrying facilities, should be unable to take
any more fruit out of the State than before
such reduction, it would result in benefit
ing select few only, and in no way prove
beneficial TO the fruit interest in general.
a few days ago met gentleman from
New York city-a prominent fruit mer-
chant. He informed me that there would
be no trouble in selling, at fair
prices, ten carloads of California
fruit per day, i'll that city alone. He also
said those who in the past have controlled
the shipments of California fruit to that
locality would not permit any more to be
sent to that market than would bring ex-
orbitant prices and enormous profits Now,
one word regarding the profits, on the
other hand, made by growers. We will
take last year as an illustration. | know
OF my own personal knowledge several
OF the largest, and heretofore the most sue
cessiul growers in this vicinity, who, not
withstanding the fact they had large
crops, did not receive as much money
Tor the same as were their actual and neces-
sary expenses for cultivating and caring for
their orchards. Some of them, in fact,
found themselves several thousand dollars
out at the close of the season | myself. in
order to prevent loss as much as possible.
dried at least forty tons of peaches and sew
eral tons of plums and prunes, a large pro-
portion OF which ought to have been sent
out of the State green, and might have
been had 1t not been the studied purpose of
certain principal shippers to prevent it.
The policy OF the principal shipping inter
eSts however, seems to have been to ONLY
permit so much fruit to be shipped East as
would bring them large profits, and thereby
the remainder was kept here to rot, or be
cried and sold at a price which would
bring but little, II any more, than the actual
cost of cutting and drying.
| heartily indorse the following from
your letter, believing the sentiments there
in expressed to be strictly correct. You
say:
idea of giving to a single mercantile house the
control of the profit to be derived upon the pro-
ducts OF a great industry in a great common
wealth like California, has built into its very
foundations an element OF unrest and ultimate
decay. To hand over TO a single mercantile es-
tablishment the lions share of profit of a com
merce equal in magnitude to that OF the fruit
industry of California is at once to array all
other merchants against that commodity-to
give those merchants the highest incentive for
finding other sources of supply, and bringing
the products from these other sources into
strong competition with our own.
And again when you say
Production follows naturally and inevitably
the demand. Supply Is forever created by de-
mand. Demand is the parent of supply; and it
appears to me that the fruit-growers of Califor-
MIA will find effort in the direction of organizing
the market at the East very much more profit
able than in organizing, limiang and restricting
the shipment OF their products from tie point
of supply.
True: And low rates alone will insure
distribution throughout the East without
organization there for that purpose. And
if the California Fruit Union will move in
u q tIof Ert1it
Association, or permit the latter to act with
it, to the end that the fifteen cars special
fruit trains may be established, and run
daily if necessary, and thereby enable
placing our fruits on the Eastern markets
at reasonable rates, then we will have
created the demand you speak of, and it
will be many years before We can furnish
an adequate " supply" Yours, respect
fully, R. D. STEPHENS,
President California Growers Association.
Sacramento, May 13, 1886.