The morning call., 1891-08-02
NILES LETTER.
Interesting News From Cur
NeighbOr Over the Bay.


time, the aim of all discussion is merely to
bring about an understanding between the
grower of beets and the manufacturer of
sugar, to the end that the grower may de-
mand fair portion of the bounty. If it can
be proved that the manufacturer needs the
bounty (and now all the more because the
two-cent tax has been removed, then the
grower should not demand any of the
bounty; but if it is made clear that the pro-
Queer makes q large profit without the
bounty, then he should divide it, or the
bounty should be Withdrawn.
With the tariff off, the housewife pays to-
day 81 cents for sugar which has cost the
factory just l cent, as has been proven, be-
cause of the cents actual cost 2 cents has
been returned through the bounty, leaving
a clean profit of 81 cents a pound to the
producer and middemen. A division of
half the bounty with the grower would re-
duce the 51a cents to AZ, with probably "a
cents profit to the sugar man, or $50 a ton.
The profit to the farmer on the eight tons of
beetS required to produce the ton of sugar
does not reach over $50 net by actual figures.
Add the cent. or half the bounty, to that
and it would equal $50 more. in all $50. or Sc
more than the sugar men make, the capital
IN each case being about the same, $500, 900
to 100000 being invested in the factory.
and the value of the 1900 or 400 acres of
beet land supplying the factory being fully
the same amout. The one-cent bounty
added to the price of beets would add another
So 90 to the ton, as eight tons of beets equal
one ton OF sugar. Forty dollars is the
bounty paid on the ton of sugar. half of
which. $50, divided among the eight tons
equals 81 80 ton. In Watsonyille farmers
would not raise beets at the prices first Of
fered. They demanded So 80 one year,
81 80 the next, and the Alvarado farmer
has done the same. This year grow
ers refused to plant beets until the
factory prices were raised; 81 90 was given
last year, and So is given this season, Just
one-tenth of cent more than last season,
equaling one-tenth of the bounty. The
farmer is beginning to realize the fact
forced upon him from all points of .conSid-
GRAFTON, that factories make enough profit
to afford to divide the bounty by paying
better prices, say 81 ton, and by that
means induce owners or lessees of all beet
land to raise beets. The law Of supply and
demand is such that, as is the case in fruit,
factories will be built to handle the beets
which are or can be grown, thus in true
sense fostering the beet-sugar industry.
There are probably 150 men and boys,
and few girls or women, cutting or pick
ing apricots in the Immediate vicinity of
Miles, One gentleman has employed nearly
fifty men, working three shifts, night and
day, to handle the fruit. In another two
Nttho ptdCutS Will Dosll 10 IlDsD, anu
July another seyenty-hVe men or boys can
ind work, as the peach crop is many times
larger than the apricot crop, although there
are so many varieties of peaches that their
harvesting Is spread over greater length
of time than the aprcots. There are
but threa or four varieties of cot"
and they are always harvested within
a month or six weeks. As a rule, The boys
are pretty fair lot, but one efficient con-
stable has found it necessary to weed out
few and Jail them. 1t Is well TO understand
that none but honest boys or men, who want
work, need apply; all Others are quickly
and quietly dealt with.
Your correspondent is in receipt of letters
from San Francisco or Oakland which
would take great deal Of time to answer
Individually, asking that work be secured
for them. or for detailed information. A
tip up on a Friday. Saturday or Sunday
when the fare is only 81 10 the round trip,
would allow of a complete inspection and
return the same day.
The subject OF return fruit-boxes is be-
coming more serious one each year, and
there should certainly be some way to
remedy the matter. The beginning of the
trouble lies at the cannery. where a cOmpe-
tent man should be employed who will not
mix plainly marked boxes, mailing Smiths
and Jones' boxes tightly into the same
package, and shipping them to Haywards
perhaps, when Smith lives in Niles and
Jones in Decoto. As a result neither
owner ever sees his boxes again. The main
trouble lies, however, at the home station,
and the fault lies with the railroad COM
pany.
The amount of fruit handled at the station
in Niles each week reaches into the hundreds
of tons, keeping the station agent and his
assistant busy from early morning until
late at night When the return boxes come
III they are thrown off upon the platform in
huge piles, sometimes twenty feet high,
being smashed and broken by the rough
handling. A man employed to handle all
Ieturn boxes would be kept busy, and save
all the breakage and waste of time.
Another source of trouble, more annoy
ing and expensive, is the very slow return
of fruit-boXes by canneries; so slow are
they that to handle twenty tons a farmer
must have four TO six hundred boxes, so
that box worth 16 or II cents will only
handle eighty or ninety pounds Of fruit
There seems no reason why box sent Mon
day to San Jose or San Francisco should
not be returned by Wednesday. AS a mat
ter OF fact they come back Friday or Satur-
day. Can there be combine between the
canneries and box factories?
Last Saturday evening an entertainment
was given in the Town Hall for the bene fit
of the new Catholic Church. The pro-
gramme was as follows, every number being
above the average: Piano duet, Mrs. W. ii.
Ford and Miss Lizzie Snyder; Introductory
remarks, Mr.. r. A. Crothers; vocal solo.
w luC IuC NOluCo III, MISS
Norris; selections on pipes, Mr.. I. Nc
Carthy; address, Colonel John O'Byrne;
violin solo, Mr.. A. Herbst; recitation (se-
lected), Mr.. William Farwell; guitar duet,
Mrs. L. Weston and Miss n. Galindo; vocal
solo, Killarney" Miss Marcella Sullivan;
selections on pipes. Mr.. T. Mccarthy.
The Introductory remarks by Mr.. Grothers
were exceedingly happy. The music was
far above that usually given by amateurs,
and Mr.. Farwell far exceeded his always
good efforts. The 'take" of the evening,
however, was the pipes, and when Mr..
Abbey, white-haired old gentleman from
near Moways. danced III fine style several
good cid Irish ligS to the music of the
pipes, the climax was reached. After the
entertainment the young folks drew back
the benches, danced several reels and ligs,
and the evening was over. The amount
taken III at the coffee and ice-cream stands
helped to swell the results to about $500,
which Is as large sum as has ever been
taken in at any entertainment in Niles.
The Ladies Guild held their last meeting
for the year at Mrs. Snyder's last Wednes-
day afternoon. All work ON hand was fin
ished up as far as possible. Arrangements
were made to select another and better
priced piano, the same committee to make
the selection. The next meeting will be the
annual meeting, held the lst of September
at Mrs. IL. g. Ellsworths, the gentlemen to
be invited TO dinner and to spend the even
ing.
Rev F. II. Maar and wife have returned
from their trip to the seasb0re and resumed
their duties.
Since the removal of the old warehouse
the station is a much safer place to wait
with teams, but what is needed impera-
lively now are good hitching-posts.
A subject that is quietly agitated in town
Is the formation OF a town improvement
club. 1t should be composed of bright,
active, go-ahead men and women, fully
awake to the needs of the town, and in a
short time many of the improvements seen
III larger towns would be added to our en-
tcrprlsing little burg.
The new hotel frame is up. The livery
stable will be commenced this week. The
CATHOLIC Church is ready for inside finish
ings. Two cottages are building, and con-
tracts are let for three others and for
store. The half dozen carpenters in town
are not idle moment.
Niles people are overjoyed at The prospect
Of another grand concert in Niles, with
such names on the programme as Mrs. Mar
riner Campbell Mrs. Younger, Walter
Campbell, Henry Heyman. Alfred W;lkie.
and others still to he added The affair mill