The morning call., 1892-02-04
A BIG FRUIT TRUST.
Talk of Combining the California
Industry.
Il Will Take al Enormous Amount Of Money.
Local Shippers Regard the Scheme
as ImpTacticabie.

teeeT3phic report was received 10 lulS
city from New York last evening to the Ell
feet that Henry MUTEenthau, capitalist, and
T. b. Armstrong, a prominent insurance
man. had became associated in a scheme 70
organize a gigantic iIuitgrowers' trust by
acquiring and consolidating into one enor-
NOUS association all the principal Calif0T-
MIA fruit farms.
The idea Of tie scheme, as said TO have
been explained by Mr.. Morgenthau himself
is 70 issue stocks and bends TO those whose
farms are absorbed 10y the trust, and il is
proposed to embrace all the largest farms OF
the State.
Who besides Norgan;hau and Armstrong
are interested in this tremendous enterprise
the djSpatch does not say, but il is init
mated that the financial backing IS heavy
and annie. and MI Armstrong is said TO
be now on bis way to California Tor the
purpose Of putting the enterprise On us
feet
The inference was most natural and rea-
S0uaG.e thar movement OF sucA vast pro-
portions as the dispatch lnumaieS TINS 10 Oe
would certainly De know 70 the prominent
lruit-shppers Of ills coast, hence number
Of them were interviewed on tie subject
last night
NEWS To HIM
David II. Porter cf Porter Brothers stated
that it was entirely new 10 him; he had
heard nothing whatever about such
scheme, and very much doubted II II was al
all known by Tile frll--groWeTs OF TINS STATE.
81 hardly believe there IS a word OF
truth in It," said he. 1T doesn't seem
reasonable Why just think for moment
what * means to buy up all the fruit farms
II this STATE. One hundred million dollars
wouldn't make more than small beginning
"A sort Of entering wedge, and does Il LOOK
probable that tGerejs any such amount Of
EpI.al ready 10 Dach visionary scheme OF
that klul2
the fU-t Gustry were confined 10 very
limited portion Of iJ. ! should not regard
the scheme as al all ImpTaCtIcab.e ur SUI
UTiS.UE. Tie peach crop u New Jersey
has beeu handled 10 The same way, aud
believe il was q very successful enterprise
for all cCucerned-pro shippers and
consumers. But then the territory was
only a few miles IN extent and every con
venieuce for concentrating operations was
70 be had at each man door
TOO LARGE a TERRITORY,
"Fere how different The territory
reaches 700 miles one way and from 100 10
200 the other. TIE very largest farms are
remotely separated and there Is no one dis
trict that can bp sad 20 embrace the 1Tut
industry OF The state. Besides. the total
Jack If Couyeuieuces for shipping and con-
ceutr8-uE Tie varCUs interests would in
MY Judgment be a istai obstacle.
"NoW for instance, just 10 Illustrate
what il Ni. take 10 even start fTulI-iTuSt;
Mrs. Dr Handy wal clear $4,000 from her
I0O-aCTP pTuLe orchard DO Los Gatos THIS
year II VIII take $4,000 to tOu.b that
place A,sG the extensive Runyun orchard
at HOLSTER. tie immense TaiS5n vineyards
Of Butler and Forsyth a. Fresno, and the
large apricot and other orchards II Buck
AMI Hatch 90 various parts Of the State.
Very little q these ranches eau be touched
|4- % boa HT--T-
SHE orange lands cannot be bought for
$500 am acre. When yOu come 10 count all
This Cp il makes quite a pile.
THE STOCK SCHEME.
$50 much for the organization Il q trust
BY an ----aDl-0.t purchase. Now TIE
scheme of organizing trust by absorbing
the various interests ~ the California fruit
ministry and issuing stock 10 the Individual
producers may sound very fine when The in
teTylew takes place ID New l oTk, but / tell
you D. W ut work here. 1t has been tried.
and ty men, too VINO were thoroughly COM
pe-rnt 20 succeed u there was any such
tLInE as success lI the scheme, and 10 failed.
il j. o.. use talking, you can't haTmOnlZs
tile varied interests OF an industry that
reaches over lZJU OF 100 square miles Il
sou succeed in pleasing one district dozen
Others gre sure TO De dispensed, and there
goes the whole concern 10 pieces, its no
use either O. ta.k ABOUT whipping 'klCkeTs'
mo line by putting the screws down on
their privileges. ii can't be done; it's out
Of tie question. Suppose the Sacramento
district should discover a screw loose down
IN Riverside, what q howl JheTe'd be, aud
DO you suppose any power on earth could
prevent them from splitting the compact
from end 70 end?
WILL NEVER HOLD.
NO, sir. In NY judgment trust Of such
varied and extensive Interests viii never
hold The OaIy way is 20 pat the whole III
dustTy under one ownership, and l don't
believe that Il IS practicable, because too
much capital would be necessary.
u must saw, however" said Mr.. Porter
in conclusion, now IS good time To carry
cut such a scheme If it IS ever going 90 be
done, because there are now 50 many In the
business that are sick of it ana want %
get our. ! hey have been nipped by frost OF
set back Uy me- other OF tie many possible
Calamltes I'LL they are very much dlsgIRted
and would lie glad Of q chance TO sell OUT
Speaking incidentally Of tie fruit indus
try, Mr.. Porter says that California has ey-
tended her markets wonderfully within the
last year and vii continue % do so more
or less from this time on, as facilities for
transportation increase and the fame of
California products extends A very large
market was found for aprlcots in London
and Australia, and the demand is sure 10
grow. PTunes, Taisius and other dried
fruits stand an equal show, and il is really
hard 20 put limit on their possibilities IN
the future. In spite # the fact that many
mishaps and discouraging setbacks has re-
tarded the industry here and there as q
whole IL Is making strides forward that no
man can begin 10 measure.
OPINIONS OF OTHERS.
Mark j. F0ntana Of the Columbus Pack
Ing Company said lie lad heard nothing in
reference 10 the proposed plan Of c0nso ida
ton. As 20 the results o. the formation Of
such an association he was not prepared to
state.
Sanford /. Goldstein, another member Of
the firm of Fontana & Co.. owners Of the
Columbus Packing Company. was too III to
be interviewed last night After reading
the Eastern dispatches on the subject he
sent MS son TO say that he knew nothing
about the scheme 10 consolidate tile Cali
foTnia fruit farms into one association. He
believed that if such a movement was on
foot his firm would have been appTsed Of il.