Sacramento daily record-union., 1888-12-12
ANNUAL MEETING OF THE BOARD
OF TRADE.
Very Important Matters for
Consideration.

on the Folsom dam; the opening of the
Exposition building near the depot, and
the purchase of additional ground for the
United States Government building. Mr.
| Steffens then goes on 10 say:
IMPROVEMENT IN TRADE TERRITORY.
As foreshadowed in my last years review the
| improvement in our trade territory has been
marked during the year just closing. The Cali
| fornia and Oregon Railroad, the Sacramento
| Valley Railroad and the Sonoma Valley Rail
a d9ao IN nave all been completed, and have round
ed out our railroad territory. The Northern
| California Railroad is also being extended into
| rich section of country.
Railroad surveying parties are to be found in
| many places, and indications now strongly sug-
gest that Northern California will soon have
| extensive railroad BUILDING in other localities
Large additions have been made to the rail
| road shops here. he carrying business is
largely increasing, and calls fornnore and better
facilit es. The spirit of railroad transportation
seems to be aroused and has strong pulse and
| business move.
THE FRUIT BUSINESS.
There is also marked improvement in the
agricultural and orchard districts of this section
| of the State. There is decided movement in
the way of dividing large holdings so as to be
| available for individual efforts many of the
! orchards ard vineyards show that more than
| usual care has been given them, and it is now
matter of common consent that a very small
piece of land is susceptible of utilizing great
amount of labor, and will proportionattl " more
amply repay in the leturns for such oOneen-
| lrateQ outlay OF eHOrt.
The following item will give some idea of the
| attention that is being given to the planting O f
new orchards, in this section.
The leading nurserymen down town report
| as having sold the following trees since last
January: Peaches, 10000; plums and prunes
1890; pears, 10000; apples, 63, ,000 apricots
5000; olives $1,000; almonds, 5000; oranges
and lemons 81 0J0: grapes, 100, 600.
The trade guarantees many of their sale and
estimates the loss on young trees about 2 per
cent.
| Tho fr,,s, band1;p,, a,d ,l;-..-,,. -. - =
| this fruit center is getting in good shape and
begins to run more smoothly.
Difsrences seem to be getting harmonized
and those who have By experience and pluck
| shown their ability to paddle their own
| canoe" are having their ability recognized by
the 'eommodores' of the trade, and are being
given proper position i'll the fruit fleet which
seems to be sailing along grandly towards vic
| tory and peace.
The green fruit shipments from this point
S3 carloads; in 1887, 10 carloads; in 1855,
l,5SS. This was "off'' year for grapes.
II the future returns of orchard and vineyard
are anything like what the pat has been and
they promise to be better the outlay of the past
two years justifies us in estimating that June,
July and August, of A. D. 1890, will show many
days when it will take fifty cars to care for
the daily fruit demands ofthis market.
THE LONDON EXHIBIT
You viii soon be called upon to support that
| important proposition, which you have already
strongly uOOrSeC, ana tn9t is to make q grand
| union display of the varied productions of the
| entire state In London, the great central mar
ket of the world. This means new markets,
| countless new consumers and a CONSEQUENT
| wonderful stimulus 20 State and local produc-
| ings
Mr. Stetfens then goes on to show what
we have already done toward supplying the
| Eastefn markets, and states that the Cali
fornia Museum Association register shows
that E, ia persons visited its rooms and the
4. B: Crocker Art Gallery. He affirms that
this has been strong, healthy business
year, freight rates and stock values have
! been regular, and the spirit of development
has been abroad in the land. There has
been general trade improvement in all of
the territory tributary to Sacramento.
Home manufacturing is getting to be more
| favorabiy considered, but there is yet room
| for Improvement. He urged that the ques-
! ton of the internal revenue system was
one that the Board should consider The
! people of the States and communities
| should regulate what burdens their busi-
ness should bear.
THE SACRAMENTO RIVER.
Mr.. Steffens then deals with the most
important subject in his report in the fol.
lowing language:
| Late in the season much difficulty was ex-
| perienced in getting freight boats I'D to the
| water front of this city, in consequence of
ssndbar forming in the Sacramento river Just
| below the city
That matter was con ,idered by this Board. A
statement of the situation was sent to Repre-
| sentative MeKenna of this district, and was by
him promptly referred to the authorities ar
| Washington A temporary camphorated relief
was at once rendered. This event Suggests to
me the propriety of partially ignoring many
| other important matters in this review, and
| again reminding you that the real question of
paramount i'm. ortance to the State and us is the
guardianship OF the Sacramento river and its
| tributaries.
European countries look after cherish and
protect their waterways: you approach them by
permission, and you respect them as though
they represented governmental dignity and
authority.
Even in this, our great country, the "wise
men of the East see the star of destiny stand
| ing over each grand river OF their section, and
are talking praises of what their rivers promise
and hold in store for their present and future
The care for the great Mississippi river has so
gotten hold of the people, and through them
the general Government, that some three or
four years ago new feature wes added to the
plans for its care and outlay, and that is to
materially assist the carrying capacity of that
river l am told that this is a special favor
shown TO the Mississippi river by the United
States Government, If this fact is true GER
tainly this republic has taken one grand step at
least toward exercising a proper tyranny over
its rivers. The Mississippi river has for years
been getting its tens OF thousands OF dollars of
Government money. The world-noted, treach-
erous but creamy Missouri has been excellently
provided for. and other rivers ard harbors have
been most kindly taken into the family of the
great dispenser of care and protection. 1t is
evident to all that for some cause, scientific
or slanderous, the general Government con-
siders the Sacramento river as California S
orphan, and its paternity in doubt.
Last year suggested that a committee be ap-
pointed whose duly would solely be to gather
data in regard to the river, and keep the matter
before the people.
AS no such committee was put to work the
question has been in my mind more or less all
the year. AS rule the general Government
does not exercise police regulation over any
thing Qnternal Revenue frolics" excepted,
| guarded, The State does not seem to know its
orphan at all; every Board of Supervisors in
the land can loan or lease the child out there
seems to be no liability, or responsible parties
to appeal to- unless the orphans neck should
get broken, and then, informed parties believe
that Uncle Sans power can be invoked to raise
the dead. The general public believe that the
Sacramento river is with US TO stay, omewhere
for all time. Private parties have been spend
ing vast sums to keep the liver in its place. so 1t
: shall not damage lands, the richest in the
world. Also. that its commercial and sanitary
! purposes may be utilized to the advantage OF
everybody far and near. ithers have i'm
mensely and directly contributed to its eternal
destruction. Many thoughtful people candidly
believe that had not the vast leveeing and the
meager direct work been done on the river that
i, has been done. the Sacramento would now have
, been running over the country wild disas-
, trous flood. After all these things and many
more that could be said and notwithstanding
that the general public are asking for liberal
Government aid. the official engineers of the
| land, who stand between the Government aud
the people, believe and report that extensive
Government aid expended rect on such a
: river is little short OF profigacy. Engineers OF
| high standing strongly condemn the encroacE-
ments that are being made on the river below
Port Costa, where the piling for wharves are
driven across the current of the river. So large
and closely driven the piles that they qui' e
turn the rivers current, eddying back on itseif
and seriously interfere with the dis charge OF
the river at its most important point
The same authority strongly questions the
/. propriety of permit ing irrigation companies to
Jap the upper Sacramento river. materially less
ening its volume weakening is current and
thereby 10 a large extent destroying It's power Of
resdjusting itself to its once former natural
, power for self-care.
l Perhaps both of these desired enterprises, and
D much injury to our great California waterway
but the people of this State should know it, and
be ioubiy assured OF such facts by competent
Board of Commissioners, of its own creating, ol
| Jointly created by the State and the Genera
$ Government, to whom any and ali parties shall
: come for license to divert the power and yziut
I OF the river and who could agthoritatively hold
, such parties responsible for any abuse OF said
| permit.
Hones.-minded enterprising citizens canno
:; object TO conforming their efforts to an intslli
!; gent river protecting system. Every man nov
living or that hereafter is n live III or near TIT
:, Sacramento valley, is deeply interestet in th'
= proper solution and arc of the great SaeTa
y mento liver. On either bank are townsh p ate