Los Angeles daily herald., 1888-06-28
FRUIT FOR EVERYBODY.
Rich Mans Luxury and Poor
Mans Staple.
CALIFORNIA; CoRNUcoPIA.
Golden State Orchard Products in
Chicag0-Benefits Of the Auc-
tion System.

tional political conventions was repro
duced this morning in line stretching
from the railroad depot, across the river,
from where State street and South
Water, the two busiest thoroughfares in
Chicago, cross each other. The honors
and attention showered upon the Cali
fornians at the great National gatherings
in st. Louis and Chicago, had
equally their counterpart here. Calfor-
mia, in fact, seemed the subject on which
for the time being everybody present was
interested. Huge piles Of luscious-look-
ing fruit in boxes, bewildering in variety
and extent, Uttered the floor Of the depot
in every direction. Still more fruit was
pouring in from heavily laden cars drawn
up on the tracks beside the depot, while
on the other side OF the depot, through
the open doors, were seen swearing, yell
ing teamsters with trucks and wagons,
crowding each other for first place in the
general onslaught evidently soon to COM
mence. Among the stack of boxes on
the floor, little groups
OF wELL-DREssED BUSINESS MEN
Were moving about, with pencil and note
book in hand, carefully examining and
making calculations regarding the boxes
that the stalwart porters about them
were pulling open everywhere. Right in
the midst OF the rows upon rows OF boxes,
and exactly like miniature convention,
number OF chairs were ranged just in
front of what looked surprisingly similar
TO the Speakers stand, occupied by
| ant 10 Whffn nf 10 1ifar-
MIA, while presiding over the Democratic
hosts at St. Louis, or that of the other
distinguished Californian, Estee, in
the gathering OF Republican clans in the
Chicago auditorium. But there was one
notable difference; no gaudy decorations
were visible anywhere, and the scene,
though lively in the extreme, had an
aspect that bespoke business and nothing
else. No horn-blowing, or hurrahing or
speech-makiug was necessary to stir
things up, and when brisk young man
mounted the stand and raped for order,
the proceedings began instanter with a
regular hop, skip and jump. 1t was vir-
tually the Inauguration OF
THE AUCTION SYSTEM
OF handling fruit in this market, for al
though sales had been going on for near
familiar to the buyers in attendance to
be said, until this morning, to be really
under way. Heretofore one firm has
practically had a monopoly, so far as
Chicago and the vast territory tributary
is concerned, Of the entire product OF the
great California orchards. The pur-
chases were by private sale, and
the result was that the traffic
here was stunted almost from its birth.
Generally the money could be realized,
and profits or losses counted by the
growers in California, only after weeks
of delay, when the final consignee in
some outlying town from Chicago, had
been at last rounded up, single handed,
by the sole agent OF the Californians in
this city.
HUNDREDS OF BOXES
were knocked down this morning in
minute, and the cash was by the terms
OF the sale available on the spot. Every
thing in the depot had been disposed of
within half an hour, and in less than
sixty minutes afterward the money for
the product was ready on demand in the
San Francisco banks, for the growers OF
the Pacific Slope, wherever they might
be located, to draw upon in an instant.
Strangely enough there was so far as
could be ascertained no letting down in
the average prices realized by the old
system. Open, hot competition from at
least twenty-five different firms, was the
explanation. Every man knew what his
neighbor was doing, and all took hold
boldly, knowing as they did that no
favorite was to overreach them by doing
better secretly Three cars, the total
arrivals to-day, brought gross average
price OF $l42 per ton.
NOTICEABLE FEATURE
OF the auction was that the sales were
not confined to Chicago or the West, but
large quantities were taken by agents for
Canada and even Boston, New York and
Philadelphia, whenever Chicago failed
to grab low-priced lot. Everyone pres
ent whose attention could be distracted
for moment was interviewed as to how
he reg irded the new system and what its
influence woull be S. Page, we'll
known dealer, happened to be the first.
He WAS
VERY ENTHUSIASTIC.
81 think, said he, "that Chicago is
now going to be the market for California
fruit, and l have commenced issuing let
ters to all my correspondents, soliciting
trade. We can do something now and
build up q trade, where before the market
was all but closed to u.s."
Mr.. Ostagg, OF Ostagg & Cawho, was
one of the livelest bidders on the floor.
He stopped long enough to say;
This beats selling one box at $4 and
hundred at almost nothing. Why where
the people have eaten one car OF Califor-
mia fruit they will soon eat ten. Every
body will want it when he won't have to
wait for it to be rotten before he can af-
ford to buy it. Instead of luxury for
the few, it will now be staple for the
many The growers will he benefited
more than anyb dy else, for they will get
fair average price for everything with
QUICK RETURNS.
Similar views were expressed by repre-
sentatives OF Garibaldi, Cuneo & Co, f.
A. Thomas & Sons, Dudley, Clap & Doe,
and many others. The firm which had a
monopoly of the product of the Califor-
mia growers, Porter Bros, intimated that
they at first feared it would hurt their
business, but were now pretty well salts
fed that the enormously increased traffic
that was almost certain to ensue before
long, would more than compensate.
GkRyVANN.