Los Angeles herald., 1892-05-29
TAHR TALKING Bee
Southern California Farmers
Meet at Pomona.
An Interesting Address ON the Mica
ragua Canal.

Proceedings of the County sInstitute.
Captain Merry's Speech.
Other Addresses
Delivered.
The second annual meeting OF the Los
Angeles County Farmers Institute con-
vened at Pomona Friday and Saturday.
in the board Of trade rooms, and was
on the whole very well attended. Mr..
Fred J.. Smith, prominent and enthu-
siastic horticulturist of the Pomona val
ley, delivered warm address Of vel
come on behalf Of the citizens Of Po-
mona, to which President q. q. Thomp-
son OF the Institute responded in . few
well-chosen remarks.
The leading event of the first days
session was an able address by Capt.
VIM. L. Merry, ex-president of the San
Francisco chamber of commerce, and
now consui-general to the republic of
Nicaragua, on the Importance of the
Nicaragua Canal to California Horticul-
ture and Agriculture. The speaker was
| introduced by Prof. E. j. Wickson Of
Captain Merry spoke for about an
hour, giving lucid and basiness-like
exposition of the Importance of an ALL
water route to our eastern and European
markets, He spoke substantially as
No one class will derive go much
benefit from the construction and COM
| pleti0n of an all water route between
the Pacific coast and our eastern and
European markets as the growers of
agricultural and horticultural crops in
this state To them the building OF the
Nicaragua canal means cheap transpor-
tation for their products. When / eav
cheap, do not mean in the sense that
the present transportation by rail is
concerned, but at price whereby you
can land your fruit, either dried, cured.
+, canned or green, and your more bulky
| field and root crops, at q price enabling
| you to compete with the competition in
the east and from abroad. This general
proposition, think. is conceded. In
coming at my subject shall discuss it
under three heads, viz:
First-The technical or engineering.
Second-The commercial and indus.
trial.
Third-The political.
Under the first head there is little
need be said here. The best engineer
ing skill of both America and Europe
has pronounced the route the only feas-
ible one for canal between the Allan
tic and Pacific oceans, between North
and South America; indeed, not only
feasible, but in an eminent degree easily
built, nature in great measure having
made easy the construction of the canal
by reason of q natural waterway-the
San Juan river on the Atlantic side and
Lake Nicaragua. The entire distance is
ITO miles, of which about thirty will
have to be canaled, with q series OF
locks on the San Juan river, on the At
lantic side, and one lock on the Pacific.
The estimates put the cost at the out
side at 500, ,OOO,O 900.
Now let US look at the commercial as
pect from the standpoint of the Califor-
mia horticulturist and agriculturist. To
illustrate the importance of the canal to
these industries, 1t is only necessary to
cite the fact that in cost the trAnsporta-
tion by water is as one to ten in COM
parison to the railway; in exceptional
cases it goes as high as one to twenty.
The reasons are obvious. The ocean is
free to all, while the railroad has to
construct roadboads at enormous ex-
pense. With water only ship 10 neces-
sary, and he who can own ship can, of
course, ply the seas and solicit freight
for transportation. This being self
evident, we have next the ques-
ton of distances that the con-
struction of the canal will lessen.
It will be noted that we are farther from
our eastern and European market (by
water) than any other civilized people.
Just stop and thiuk we'll of that fact.
From New York to San Francisco the
distance via "the Horn" is 15 $3.50 miles,
via the canal it will be 1907; or, a saw
ing of over 10000 miles. From San
Francisco to New Orleans, around the
same route, is 10000 miles, and via the
canal only. 4117, clear saving of over
IL 900 miles; San Francisco to Liver
pool is now 15,62O miles, while ships
passing through the canal only travel |
1927. saving of over 1000 miles. The
be continued indefinitely. As said be. |
fore, the markets for our surplus pro.
ducts are east and abroad; we have
talked some of our Asiatic and Austral. |
ian trade, and while desirable go far as |
it goes, the great bulk, say seven.
eighths of our productions, and partic-
ularlY those grown on the farm, will |
have to find an outlet to the east. With
the canal completed it will be easy to |
ship our citrus fruits to London
and Liverpool by fast refrigerator
steamers in from fourteen to fif- |
teen days, and at nominal cost,
Green fruit is now being shipped from
Cape Town (Africa), Australia, New
Zealand, Tasmania and Queensland to |
England. Mutton from Australia ia
selling in Glasgow, Scotland, for about
six cents per pound. Another point:
At the very time that our fruits come
into bearing the markets of Europe are
comparatively free from orchard prod |
ucts; thus the canal not only affords us |
means for reaching the great distrib-
uting centers of Europe, but it actually |
furnishes us with market in which we
will not experience severe and cutting
competition from other quarters. Over
production under these conditions will
be impossible. Not only will this be
true of our fruit, but our winter vegeta-
bles can also be proftably sent to Eu-
rope. This is not only true of farm
products, but all other tonnage that we
may want to ship. 1t applies quite as
forcibly to our forest product, which
will then be very considerable article
of transportation.
It has been the policy of the railroads
to charge all the traffic will bear, and if