The record-union., 1894-10-22
REcoRD-UN1oN MONDAY OCTOBER o. 1894
FRUIT AUCTIONS.
Views OF One of the Largest Shippers
of California.

of California.
The following letter will be found of
interest to fruit-growers:
SACRAMENTO, Oct. Is, 1894.
III. WeinStOck, ESQ.-DEAR SIR: In re-
ply to yours of the 18th inst, regarding
Bureau of Information in connection
with California fruit shippers. AS L have
said to you verbally, the Earl Fruit
Company Is IN favor of any programme
which will improve the present system
OF marketing California fruits, and we
Will be very glad indeed to cooperate in
making Bureau of Information sue
cess.
You are good educator, and trust
you Will not lose the opportunity to agi-
tate the matter OF open auctions for the
sale OF California fruits in Eastern mar
kets. The closed auction, i'll my opin-
ION, is doing more to injure the sale of
California fruits in Eastern markets than
anything else. Chicago is the principal
market for California fruits, and un-
fortunately large portion of the fruit
sold In Chicago is being sold in closed
auction, where only lew favored firms
are allowed to buy.
The production of California fruits is
increasing so rapidly that everything
possible should be done to develop new
dealers IN the various Eastern markets.
ana 10 this end 1t is very important that
open Tor anyone who wishes to buy and
| handle California fruits. My observa-
ton is that small dealers who start with
push-cart or corner fruit stand gradually
develop into wholesale dealers if they
are allowed to patronize the suction
room.
OF course this may not seem advantage
eous to the old-established iobbers in
such a city as Chicago. 1t is, however,
certainly In the interest of the California
growers, ana L trust you will not lose the
opportunity TO agitate this matter before
the California growers. / am surprised
that they DO not take more lively in
terest in this matter.
The jobbers now handling California
fruits III the various Eastern markets are
organizing TO close the auction at various
points so that they will only be open for
large houses. Recently the Merchants
FRUIT Auction Company of Kansas City
passed q resolution closing its doors
against the small dealers. This was done
In direct violation of their promises made
TO US when their auction was established
ana when we promised to support it, and
TINS resolution was passed against the
protest OF our Kansas City manager, who
is mem Der OF the directory of this auc-
Llon company. As soon as | learned of
the resolution l wired our manager to
sell no more fruit at auction in Kansas
City.
Inc auction at Minneapolis is closed
auction and we have been compelled to
sell fruit through this auction, as there is
no other established auction at Minneap-
olls; understand the auction OF Omaha
is also practically closed auction.
This is all wrong, and the growers of
California should be educated in regard
| to the merits OF the open auction, and l
Delleye a lew arguments over your name
would nave more weight than if they
came from shipper. A bureau of infor-
nation would be of great benefit if it was
| properly supported, but unless all the
large shippers Cooperate and furnish
complete and prompt information in re-
| gard to shipments and diversions it will
not be effective. And even if all the ship
pers do cooperate and the closed auction
| Is allowed to run at the Eastern end of the
line, 1t Will be impossible to obtain the
| best results.
am not only in favor of an open auc-
ton, free for all buyers, but 1 am also an
| advocate OF one auction-room in each
| large city, so that buyers are not divided
| and SO they do not have an opportunity
to use one auction against another. 1t
may not be possible to ship all the fruit
into Chicago over one railroad. / believe.
however, that it can sold through one
auction-room located away from the
depot. The buyers can 90 to the various
depots early IN the morning and meet at
some central auction-room on South
Water street, where the sales will be held,
This is the programme followed by
Brown IL Seccomb in New York in con-
nection with foreign business, and do not
see why ii should not work satisfactorily
in city like Chicago. OF course the
railroad which is nearest 10 the auction
room would have some advantage, as
buyers might not GO to the more distant
depots 10 examine the fruit
/ will hnl n he
when the fruit-growers' meeting con-
venes in November, else l would be
pleased to present my views personally
in regard to the merits OF the open and
closed auctions. trust you will do it tor
me. Yours very truly. E. 4. EARL.