Middletown transcript., 1891-04-02
whose orchards are very forests, last

year went from this city W pau
dusky Bay and bought peaches there;
Many Of these peaeehhee eh ees we're shipped
to New York by him. Sandusky -
nearly seven hundred miles from
New York. The express company
charged him for freightiDg 2 these
peaches to New York, 80 cents per
basket, the baskets being . mite
larger than a Jersey pesch basket,
and supposed to contain thirty pounds
of fruit. These peaches were brought
from Sandusky to New York on ex-
press time, at the rate, probably, OF
thirty.fve or forty miles an hour
and the express company received
from steamboat lying at the dock
in, Sandusky Bay, took them upon
their wagons across the City Of San
dusky, loaded them into cars, rolled
them through to New York, unload
ed the fruit into their own wagons
here, and delivered them at the doors
of those to whom they were consigned,
It was not necessary to send q car
load Of this fruit to get these rates.
From Bridgeville TO New York, with
the poorest kind of a poor service at
the terminal here, the Pennsylvania
railroad charges the grower for a like
sized basket, 21 cents. Ifthe Penn
sylvania railroad would charge the
Delaware farmers no more for the
amount of service they perform than
the American express company charg-
ed the Sandusky Bay growers last
season, the freight per basket on
peaches from Bridgeville to New
York would be but about eight cents
per basket.
Another illustration: The charge
made by the Pennsylvania railroad
for the transportation Of Delaware
peaches to the market from almost
any point in the State, is upwards Of
SO cents per hundred pounds in car
lead lots, with the same poor service
above described, which means that
there will be terminal expense of
full 10 cents per hundred to be added.
From Chicago the express company
will bring at any time, in carload
lots or less, fruit for 65 cents per
hundred pounds. The distance from
| New York to Chicago is five times
greater than from Delaware. There
fore the fruit dealers of Chicago, and
growers of Illinois, can and do put
their fruit in this market for about
the same cost per hundredweight as
the Delaware fruit growers can get it
| here for. If the Chicago rates are
remunerative to the railroad COM
panies, then the Delaware fruit should
be put in this market for 15 cents per
hundredweight.
Farmers throughout the United
States complain of bad business but
the Delaware and Maryland peninsula
progresses backward (if I may use
Che term) more rapidly than any
other section of the United States.
Lands in the State seem to haye no
value, save that given them because
of an opportunity which they offer to
produce profitable peaches and other
fruits. Grain and grazing lands are
| unstable. A farm within a few
miles of your town was sold only q
few weeks ago for about $500 an
acre and yet / know of thousands Of
acres on the peninsula of better land
in better condition, and which might,
if Justice be done the community by
the railroad companies, afford fal
greater opportunities for profits, thai
cannot be sold for one.half Of thai
amount per acre. What is the cause
, of il It is we'll that this question
! should be asked, and asked, and
, asked. That the people should think
. There is a cause and there is resolu
, tion, and if the people will look clos'
enough to it, they will find it.
The people of Kansas have jus
, passed through a period Of activ'
thinking. Their plan was simply tt
i organize for educational development
It was q farmers organization, ant
, the matter investigated was no
!. history, science, nor religion. It wa
living. And a farmers organization
was created in every school distric
i in Kansas, and every three district
we're combined, that the organization
might be strengthened, and the sub
r iect under discussion at every meet
: ling, (and a meeting was held in on
, Of the three districts every week wa
+ What can we do to better our con
, dition?"
! If the people of Delaware woul
take lesson from Kansas, Delaware
: which has golden opportunities tha
o are denied to Kansas, would 500
! | elevate herself from that depression
which is now robbing the bodies G
|, !, her people of substance, and thei
: : brain Of independent thought.
: JAS. A. B. DILwoRTH.