The record-union., 1894-11-21
Afternoon Session.

would do so later
ON motion OF z. J. Shields. the conven-
tlon took recess till 1870 P. NJ.
Afternoon Session.
In the afternoon the number of the
convention was considerably augmented,
many having arrived on the morning
train and others from the surrounding
country.
President Buck announced, when call
ing the convention TO order, that reports
OF the State Board of Horticulture were
on hand tor free distribution to those who
wished for them. The first subject for
discussion was the Transportation aud
Freight Rates on Green and Dried
Fruits"
w. Il. GESTER
Said that he should speak as a representa-
live OF Placer County. The fruit pro-
ducers OF that county had been favored
with abundant crops, but The result OF
their shipping season had not been salts
factory. They had held meeting and
discussed the situation. He read a list OF
resolutions passed by the meeting, which
stated that fruil-growing did not pay in
terest on work and investment The only
Two factors III cost OF shipping that can be
cut down further are freight and reirIger
alton rates. They resolved therefore to
demand OF the Southern Pacific Company
"a reduction i'll rates, and pledged them
selves if such reduction were not granted
To cease shipping ali green fruits. They
also printed Il circular To be sent TO other
| fruit-growers III the State, begging them
To cooperate with them i'll securing such
q reduction.
His district had shipped last season
LOO carloads Of green fruit Ii they
could not continue to ship green fruits
they would have To go to drying, ana thus
come into competition with those III other
parts OF the State who were already en-
gagged in drying. This they did not wish
TO 10, and therefore asked the co-opera-
ton OF such dryers.
L. BERWICK
OF San Mateo had paper on transporta-
ton. He should, lac SAID, give them his
ideas, and il they chose TO take his adj
vice, well and good; If not, 1t was their own
loss. He did hot KNOW why fruit growers
| should be depressed, as he was told they
were. he started III with all alluslon 10
| what we alI know as the octopus, which
Is reaching out It's arms when the Pres
ldent Interrupted HIM, saying mat the
subject on the programme was trans
portation and freight rates, and unless
his paper was on That subject he would
be out of order at this Time. Berwick
stated that he considered IL a part OF the
same subject, and lHLlnated that his pa
per was on naturalization OF railroads.
The Chair stated this was not the day Tor
the consideration OF that subject, which
would come up later, and called on ii.
" elnStoch for his paper.
MIR. WEINSToCK'S ESSAY.
Mr.. Weinstock opened his essay with a
statement of the growth in the past few
years OF the fruit industry. In spite Of
the disastrous effects OF the strike anu the
unsatisfactory railway service, the truit-
growers of the state had a golden oppor-
tunity before them, the crop OF the East
being in many instances almost total fail
ure. The fruiL-growers, however, threw
away their golden opportunity by an I'M
wise and llI-conSldereu distribution of
the crop, Cutting many markets. lie dld
not believe that In sucu u year, With no
Eastern fruit TO compete with, 1000 car
loads OF fruit should glut the markets
there, one OF Which-New \ Ork-alone
takes annually $500 baskets of peaches. q
II thought the trouble was Ill the de-
fective system OF shipping and distribut-
ing the lruit. The shipping Is largely
done individually, commission men and
growers sending their fruit bllndly To GER
tain markets, knowing nothing or the
conditions that would confront the ship
ment at its destination, and so long as
such a system is followed, failure must
result. He had long advocated the forIna-
ton. of Bureau Of Information, by
means OF which every grower could see,
as on map, just the condition of the
market at any given point, and prevent
Cutting II.
The auction system has placed all grow
ers on an equal footing, enabling them to
know Immediately what prices fruit was
bringing, securing them prompt returns
OF their proceeds. and many other bene-
fits. Ii had not yet, however, and never
can, so arrange it that. a LOO package
market can take 5000 packages. Failure
must follow, until the distribution OF
shipments can be better regulated. Then,
LOO, the success Of the auction system has
caused Jealousy and competition, and in
some OF the larger cities three or four auc-
Iion-rooms are maintained, thus, instead
Of bringing buyers together to bid against
each other IN the interest of the producer
scattering them, and bringing the fruit OF
one grower into competition with another
and sending down prices. third evil
is, that certain auctaln houses formed d
com OlnatlOn to allow only persons be-
! longing to certain associations to bid for
| fruits, and thus shutting out many bid
ders from an open market and preventing
! full competition.
1t may be asked, said he, how these
can be prevented. 1t rests with the
| growers themselves, he claimed. Ii they
/ desire to organize and act as a unit, they
can refuse to consign 10 houses that re-
! fuse to connect themselves with the Bu-
reau of information; 10 demand that only
| one auction house be carried on in one
! city and that gluts be prevented He
was in correspondence with all the large
| fruit-selling houses of the Eastern cities,
and they all favor the establishment of a
| Bureau of Information. He read num-
| Der OF letters from the most prominent,
! all agreeing on that point, and deprecat-
ing the present system of Cutting the
markets. Although he advocated only
| one auction room in one city, that did
not necessitate that there should be only
one auctioneer. There might be more,
! but it was necessary to success that there
should be only one place of sale, at one
hour, so that buyers can come there and
bid. at the proper time he should hold
( himself in readiness to present a set of
resolutions on the subject.
AN EXPLANATION.
T. Madely said that number thought
! the ruling Of the Chair in shutting Oft the
! article of Mr.. Berwick rather arbitrary,
and that no one else had been invited to
! speak on transportation.
/ The Chair stated that he had not rightly
understood what Mr.. Berwick's article
wasiupon. He understood Mr.. Berwick
! to say that his article was upon the ma
! tionaliZatlou of railroads, which subject
| was set for later date.
! Mr.. Berwick said that it was, and that
was his understanding of what the ques-
! ton of transportation involved.
The Chair said that another day had
! been set for that subject, and as Mr.
| WeinstoclI had already given paper on
! cooperation. il might be we'll to finish
| that subject and then take up transporta-
ton. If the convention was willing.
! Colonel Hersey OF Santa Clara would adj
dress them on the mark citing of fruit by