Smyrna times., 1891-07-29

THE question of freight,-the rail
road charge therefor-seems a more
difficult one to settle that the rate of
commissions by the middlemen or the
return of the empties. The Grangers
appealed the matter to the U. S. Com
missioners, who after a long delay, de-
cided that the freights on fruit should
be lowered, but the railroad men are
restive and want the figures reversed.
In the meeting of Changers which
was held last week at John ]. Rosa's,
attended by 100 men, and in discussing
the matter of shipping fruit, from fig
ures quoted, it appears that the cost of
shipping green fruit is fifteen times as
high as the general merchandise rate
Why is this? was asked. All knew
that the cost was not very much larger,
in fact, it was said that all the expense
the company went to was the shelving
of the cars, as the company did not
employ help TO load the cars.
The Interstate Commerce Commits
sion some months ago decided that
reduction of 20 per cent. on peaches
and berries; on apples, peas, kale,
spinach, radishes, cabbage and other
vegetables, except potatoes, reduc-
ton of twenty-five per cent. On pOta-
toes twenty-five per cent. land the
rate not to be more than ten per cent.
higher on the branches than at the
junction points with the main line"
The Commission finds the cost of
marketing a basket of peaches about
sixty cents, in this estimate including
every item of expense from growing to
selling, and that the profit must be
exceedingly small. The plea was
made bv la railroad attorneys that
the roads through Delaware
and Maryland were operated at a loss
each year, that the expense of keeping
them in running order was great and
that the whole system was sometime
operated at loss. The CO.AmIssi"..
decided that the branch roads wrr-
necessary and useful, that they fur
nished much business for the maiI
line and were as necessary to it as are
fences, fertilizers and drains to the
farm.
The Grangers claim that the Penn
sylvania Railroad Company has secured
monopoly of the carrying trade from
every point on the Peninsula and has
used the advantage to absorb nearly al
the net earnings Of the people VIII
have no other means Of transportation
and that if the railroad had done tn
right thing for the people as the latter
had done for them in the grant
through the Legislature, that ther,
would not be the cause for complaint
The Grangers we're led to test tn
matter before the Interstate Commii
sion because of the inequalities {
freight eharges-paying the same fror
Kent County, Delaware, as the shiI
Ders from Norfolk, Va, and often more
The freight on barrel Of kale frOI
Cape Charles to Jersey City is twent
cents. yet q barrel of kale shipped froI
Milford pays fifty cents. A hundre
pounds Of berries from Milford to Je
sey City pays sixty-fve cents, Will
the same quantity shipped from Car
Charles to Jersey City pays sixt
cents. The difference in the distane
is one hundred and twenty miles an
yet the charge is the same
The competition by water from MOI
folk was doubtless the cause of the r.
duetion from that point. The secr
tary Of the Grange Gays the decision
the commission for lower freights wi
be saving Of about 100000 TO Il
farmers ia an average years crops.
There Is mutual bond of intere