Los Angeles daily herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1884-1890, 1886-05-21

Mr.. J. j. Groom, who formerly assist
ed in the establishment of the first can.
merry in this city, in his report to the
President, Board of Directors and
stock holders of the Napa Fruit Canning,
Drying and Packing Company. says:
have been asked many times if the
canning of fruits is a paying business.
Ny answer is, invariably, that it u.s.
The question may be asked, Do you
know il is paying business My an
swer is | have made it pay large
dividend. II well managed it will
pay equal to any business on this
coast. / had conversation few days
ago with large wholesale hardware
merchant in San Francisco, who owns
an interest in fruit cannery. and he
told me that his stock in the fruit can
merry paid him better than his hardware
business. The prospect for max.
ing money is better than it has been at
any time in ten years. In the first
place the market is entirely cleared
OF canned fruits. There is no old
stock on hand, the demand is far
more than it ever has been, the prices
of former years for canned fruits are
well maintained, and the raw material
never was as low as ii is to-day. / have
lust bought tin plate at five dollars per
box, an unheard of price in California.
We used to think when we could get
tin plate for six and seven dollars
per box we were doing well,
and during the ten years
have been in the business l have paid as
high as 5000 per box, besides high
rate Of freight. That there is
money in the canning business one can
not doubt If he will only inform himself
| in regard to what others have done.
Look, for instance, at the San Jose can
merry in San Jose. That was started a
few years ago by putting up fruit
on a kitchen stove in common wash
boiler, and to-day their buildings cover a
space of about l50x450 feet and cost half
a million dollars. Also, the Golden
Gate Cannery, of San Jose, an in
stitution / started myself a few
years ago with small capital. The
third year it paid dividend Of 100
per cent, and have been told by
reliable parties that it has paid ever since
from ~ to 100 per cent. every year.
You have only to look at their costly
buildings and the improvements they
make from year to year to convince
you that the canning business does pay,
and it will pay right here in Napa
City. 1t will not only pay the
stock holders q nice dividend, but il
will increase the value of real estate,
both in town and country. by bringing
in people to buy and rent property. /
have received a number of letters already
| from different places asking me if |
could give the writers employment in
the Napa Cannery. II can they will
move here for the PURPOSE Of working in
| it. There is no business that can be
started in place that will benefit it
as much as a cannery. In the first
place 1t gives employment to a
class of people that outside of can
merry earn but very little money: viz,
women, girls and boys, and this is the
very class of people that needs employ.
ment, and by opening up way for them
to earn money it benefits the merchants
of the place. II this business is carried
on as extensively as it should be, the
merchants Of Napa will be surprised
at the large increase in their cash
sales; for the money that is paid
out at the cannery will be sure to find
its way into the merchants money
drawer in less than twenty.four hours.
1t induces fruit-growers to plant
out more and better trees and to take
better care Of what they have already
out. Even the real estate and
insurance men get quite snug little
sum from it, and as soon as the cannery
is known to be success, it will increase
the value and sale of real estate.
| What has caused the boom in real es.
tate in the San Jose and Santa Clara val.
leysi The establishing of canneries, by
making a market for fruits and encour.
aging people to plant out more and bet
| ter varieties. Fruit men in Santa Clara
valley have told me that before the
San Jose and Golden Gate can
neries were started there thai
there was scarcely any demand for their
fruits, especially apricots, Bartlett pears
and peaches. Large orchards of apri'
cots were dug up because there was nc
sale for them. Even in 1876 | bought
very fine Bartlett pears for so cents per
box, and in 1877 paid from rs cents to
81 per box, and later on we
paid as high as $500 and
$2.25 per box. 1t makes
a sure market for fruits at home, where
they car deliver II in open boxes and be
sure to get them back in good order,
without being compelled to pick and
handle every piece Of fruit and then be
to the expense of putting on 9 cover