Milford chronicle., 1888-02-24
The Inter State Suit

Last Friday the Morning Nes0s published
the following which gives clear under
standing Of the condition Of the case o
Peninsular farmers and the railroad company
Since the State Grange Of Delaware through
its executive committee, A. N. Brown, Z. H.
Bancroft and John c. Higgins came boldly lc
the front and gave the Interstate eoumeree
fight" the benefit of its corporate organiza-
tiou, there has been a most active and
energetic cavass Of the Peninsula fol
grievances as to discrimination in freight
rates and train service and as to exorbitant
charges on all kinds of perishabie fruit and
| produce grown between the two bays. As
already stated through the news columns Of
The Morning Meas, the farmers and
truckers on the Peninsula presented these
grievances to the Interstate Commerce
Commission in the form of a petition which
asked that a hearing of the case be given
them, the charges being in substance that
the freight rates on fruit and produce were
unjust and unreasonable, and that the Pen
insula growers were Disseminated against
in train services aud freight rates in favor Of
the Norfolk growers, who are from forty to
$50 miles farther off from the markets Of the
North and the East
It was expected that this hearing would be
given them in January, but owing to the
commission the hearing was postponed until
such time as all parties should be ready for
it A. N. Brown, master of the State
Grange, and the leading man in the fight for
the farmers, made very frank statement Of
the situation to The Morning NssOS, CORE
spondent to-day. He said that David c. Bird
and George H. Bates, Esqs., of Wilmington,
the attorneys for the farmers, recently had a
conference with the officials of the railroads
and that such train schedules, freight rates
and details as the commission had ordered
the railroad lines to furnish had been given
them, and that the matter was in such shape
now that so far as the farmers are concerned
there can be no treason for further postpone
ment Of the hearing. Mr.. Brown says
further that while there was no disposition
to precipitate hearing before the railroad
people had time to prepare their defence, the
questions at issue were of such vital impor-
tance to every fruit grower on the Peninsula
that there must be an early adjustment Of
them.
E. II. Bancroft, one of the pioneers in the
fruit business of Kent county, says
Further delay of a hearing of this case
means that there will be tremendous
shrinkage in the amount of berries grown
next year. No grower can afford to pay the
present high freight tariffs of from $50 to $50
per car load, especially as he must shoulder
all the risk of arrivals at Jersey City or Phila-
delphia. Unless we can have lower rates
and the train service that we are charged for,
not only will here be great decrese in the
number of acres of new strawberry ground
next year, but hundreds of acres of young
patches will be ploughed under this spring
An carly solution of the questions is neces-
sary, as our people will commence plough
ing next month"
John J. Rosa of Milford, who has been
successful fruit grower for eighteen years.
endorses the above and saws that it is a very
serious question as to what use can be made
of the land now in berries in the event of the
fulfllment of Mr.. Bancroft's prophecy as the
cereals have long ceased to be profitable and
the present generi ton of Peninsular farmers
are too poor to earn by necessarily long
years of experimental farming what other
staple they can grow at profit
The Rev. J. S. Willis of Milford, who is
also large fruit grower, says that few people
have an intelligent idea of the magnitude of
tile interests involved in the question of dis
elimination. Thousands of dollars are paid
every year to the poor class ofpeople who
pick the fruit and the ploughing up of
single fve-acre patch of strawberries entails
serious loss on the entire community
Growers who have continued in the berry
business, although at loss rather than to
deprive the working classes of this source of
revenue, are now compelled to make such
use of the land as will at least pay them for
the labor expended upon it.
The cost of this bearing before the conf
mission is estimated at from So, 600 to So 500,
and it is being raised by contributions from
the farmers. All witness fees must be paid
by the plaintiffs but the expenses of the
commission are provided by the Congress
sional appropriation. The hearing will take
place at Dover within few weeks and it
will be attended by two-thirds of the fruit
growers Of the Peninsula.