Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1888-03-16
FRUIT DISPOSAL.
HOW SHALL OUR FRUITS BE DIS.
POSED OF In CHICAGO.
A Letter From the California Fruit
Union = Auction VS. Private
Subscriptions Wanted.

The following letter has been issued to
its members by the California Fruit Union :
OFFICE CALIFORNIA FRUIT UNION
SAN FRANCISCO, March II 1888.
DEAR SIR AT the last annual meeting of
stockholders of the California Fruit Union,
| resolution was passed recommending to
the Board of Trustees that the auction plan
be tried in Chicago the coming season.
In compliance with this recommendation
| the Trustees are now considering the mat
| ter, but as there is a division of opinion
! among them concerning the wisdom of SELL
ing our fruits in Chicago by auction it has
been suggested that, before any decision is
| arrived at the opinion be learned of lead
ing fruit-growers and shippers, who are
| members of the Union.
With this purpose in view | now address
you, and ask that you carefully consider
| the following, and give the Board of Trus-
tees the benefit of your judgment at the
earliest possible date. There is to be
meeting of the Directors within two weeks,
at which meeting this question is to be def
nitely settled. Your prompt attention is
therefore earnestly requested.
In order that you may understand the
matter more thoroughly, it may be well to
oleitC DllChN lu6 lCdSOES ny luOS6,
who look with disfavor upon introducing
the auction plan in Chicago, and the rea-
sons, also, that are set forth by those who
are in favor of such plan.
Among those who doubt the success of
selling by auction in Chicago are several
shippers, and also Porter Bros, of Chicago
1t is held by these and especially bv Mr.
Porter, that there are strong probabilities
of combinations being formed among Chi
! cago buyers, so as to get our fruits at their
own figures, and that the system of selling
by auction in Chicago would be much
slower one than selling at private sale 1t
| is claimed that by the latter method much
of the fruit is sold in advance of arrival,
and that large part of the receipts of fruit
are Immediately reshipped, so that fruit
reaches the consumer with the utmost
promptness.
Whereas, they claim that if sold by auc-
ton it would first have to be unloaded from
the cars, arranged according to brand, and
after being sold, then reshipped to other
points, involving at least one days delay,
| which must seriously affect the value of
the fruit.
1t is furthermore claimed that, while the
| auction plan has been successful in Boston,
New York and other Atlantic cities, it has
been tried in Chicago on bananas and other
while the auction plan may succeed in
Chicago during the earlier part of the sea-
son, ii would be an assured failure during
the hight of the season, when great guam
titles of fruit were being poured into Chi
cago from all directions.
They furthermore say that, though large
quantities of California fruits were success
| fully sold by auction last year in Boston
| and New York, this is no proof that the
method will continue to be a success in
| those understanding as one reason for
the increased demand, the fact that the
Eastern fruit crop was largely failure last
year; and, further, that while fifty car
loads were sold by auction in New York,
aggregating in sales about $4,000, Porter
Bros. claim to have sold at private sale to
Dudley, Clapp 81 Doe, of New York,
$4,000 worth of California fruit during
the same season.
In reply to these objections, those who
have faith in the success of the auction
plan make the following answer: They
say that, so far as combinations being
formed among bidders is concerned, such a
thing thus far has been impossible at the
sale of fruits in any of the Eastern cities :;
and that while it might be done among
such few Chicago dealers as now handle
California fruits their number thus far be-
Il
would be impossible with the hundred or
more Chicago fruit dealers who would at
once take hold of California fruits, and
push them with every energy, if they were
placed on an equal footing with the few
now in the trade.
AS proof of this fact, they point to the
experience in Boston during the past sea-
son. Prior to 1887 there were but three or
four wholesale fruit dealers in Boston who
handled California fruits, but as soon as the
auction plan was adopted, which gave all
an equal chance, nearly all the dealers of
any note in Boston became interested, and
toward the close of the season California
fruits were. for the first time, to be found
in the hands of dozens of fruit men. This
resulted in greatly increasing the consump-
ton. and largely explains why it is that
forty carloads were received there this year
as against one solid carload the year pre-
vious; the remaining shipments to Boston
prior to 1887 having been made through
Chicago, and as a rule, in small lots
Though the consumption in Boston as COM
pared with previous years was very large,
the agents there say that, 4" as long as they
can sell these fruits at prices within the
reach of the multitude, their market can
take much larger quantities than the forty
carloads received last year"
The advocates of the auction plan there
fore maintain that its adoption in Chicago
will be followed by the same results. and
for every dealer who now handles Califor-
MIA fruits in Chicago there will be twenty
who will come in and help distribute and
popularize it. in this way vastly increasing
the demand.
In answer to the point made that fruit
cannot be sold by auction as speedily as
by private sale, it is held that, for small
lots, fruits may be distributed more rapidly
by private sale than by auction; but that
experience everywhere has shown that for
large quantities of fruit the auction is the
only method by which the business can be
made expeditions. As proof of this, the
experience in Mediterranean fruits Florida
fruits, as well as California fruits is pointed
to.
Entire ship-loads of lemons and oranges,
that would take many days to dispose of
at private sale are sold within an hour in
the auction-room. On this point the New
York agents. Sgoble & Day, say as follows:
Five cars of fruit sent to any commits
sion merchant in New York could not be
sold in day, as we sell it by auction. A
large share of it must simply lay over I'M
til the next day, or even the day follow
ing; and where would apricots, peaches
and other such perishable fruits be under
these circumstances
Blake & Ripley, of Boston, in speaking
of the difference in expedition in selling
California fruits by auction, as compared
with private sales. say 1--WE could never
hope TO handle several carloads of Califor-
mia fruit st any one time, and successfully
distribute it at private sale, without much
loss by decay. 1t would simply be impos-
sible to do it, and our experience this sea-
son has made that point clear. On one
morning we received six carloads of Cali
fornia fruits-tbis being regular ship
ment, and delayed shipment, both of
which reached us at the same time. Had
we been selling at private sale, such
quantity of California fruit coming at one
time would have showed US under We
would have been utterly helpless, and be-
fore we could have reached the last lot in
the last car, much of the fruit would have
become worthless; but selling it as we did
by auction, the six carloads were sold
within an hour after the bidding began,
and within two or three hours more it was
scattered in all directions and within "a
hours the money for this fruit was on the
way to the growers and shippers in Cali
fornia.'
Concerning the failure of selling tropical
fruits by auction in Chicago it is held that
such failure was owing to the fact that
haOsUas and the other fOreipD frrlits offerad