The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1895-07-11
ALL PROFITS
EATEN up.
Mr.. Cunningham, Of Georgia, Who
Has Been in the Truck Busi-
ness Twenty Years Tells
Why Southern
TRUCK DOES NOT PAY.

thc Otdtc, dppcdTcO IcCcuLly UcLOEc
the Southern Railway and Steamship
association and read strong paper
on the subject of the relationship
between the railroads and the grow
ers, showing how the failure of the
roads to give adequate rates would
unquestionably greatly injure an in
dustry, which, if it received proper
encouragement, would bring heavy
revenues in the future to the rail.
roads.
We Gull the following from Mr..
Cunningham's very able and inter-
esting article:
"The exorbitant freight rates ex-
of fruit and truck from Georgia to
the eastern and western mail kets are
crushing the life out of the fruit
growing industry.
"The growers find it impossible to
realize profit on the product of
their orchards and truck farms, but
on the contrary are losing money
every year.
"This year, with it's abundant crop
of peaches, is regarded as a pivotal
year by the growers. and if ne money
is made they will abandon the busi-
ness in disgust. The crop was never
more abundant and the quality never
better, and If the growers could Sc
cure fair treatment from the rail-
roads there is no reason in the world
why the industry should not become
one of the most profitable IN the
State.
"Just as their crop is ready for
shipment, however, they are con-
fronted with the discouraging fact
that the transportation lines will not
only not make any concessions in
their behalf, but have actually in
creased rates to the tune of over $54
per car.
lin other words they have arbi-
trarily ruled that the minimum
weight of a carload Of peaches shall
be $4,000 pounds, when it is impos-
sible to pack more than $4,000 or
10000 pounds of fruit in the car
thus securing an enormous rate of
freight on 1900 pounds of fruit that
they don't haul.
"This increases the freight on q
carload IF peaches from Georgia to
Boston $54. making the full amount
thus wrung from the growers for
freight alone 1929. 90 per car.
"These charges do not include re-
frigeration, which is $50 per car, and
is absolutely necessary for the preser-
vation of the fruit.
"But the above figures are only a
part of the expense of putting car
load of peaches into Boston.
every shipment made to that
point represents a cash outlay of
$661. 10 to the Georgia fruit grower
and the maximum gross amount that
he realizes for his shipment is not
more than $4,000. A slight effort
at subtraction will reveal a profit OF
only $500, when it takes five acres
the average lifetime of an orchard
to produce one carload of peaches.
"These are the glittering prospects
that the roadroads hold out to the
Georgia fruit grower and to the
thousands of emigrants whom the
fruit growing industry is attracting
to the State from other sections.
"The actual cost Of production il
greater, and the same land devoted
to almost any other product would b.
more profitable"
We clip the following IN Mr.. Gun
ningham's own languages:
THE rate on peaches from California t.
Boston, over 5000 miles, is $3.50 per 10'
pounds. From Georgia to Boston, 81 373
exclusive of the refrigeration charges of A
cents per 100 pounds, which must be addes
to rate always, as it is absolutely indispen
sible. The rate from Atlanta to Baltimor
is 7s4 cents plain or $1.233 including refrig
Grafton. The rate from Grand Rapids
Mich. to Baltimore, greater distance, i
only AZ cents per 100, and the schedule
fasuenough to enable the shipper to dispens
signments are charged with 500 per ca
above New York rates. Maryland shipper
pay a difference of only 20 cents per 10
between New York and Boston, q mos
serious discrimination against US, indeed.
Il could mention numberless other di!
ordinations against the Georgia shipper
both eastern and western points, but thin
the above will show that my assertions al
true. In speaking of the necessity of a r,
, duction of rates, l am generally met wit
the statement that the freight is so valuabl
that the roads cannot give low rates. Now
; deny this. I have been large shipper fe
twenty years, and have never sued road {
even presented a claim for damages to fru
en- route. If liability for loss fixes the rat<
we should pay only mills per mile per tol
or about $50 per car to New York, the sam
as stone or pig iron."
, Mr.. Cunningham corrects the in
preston that the northern and wes1
; ern terminal roads are responsible
for the exorbitant rates inflicted o
the Georgia fruit growers. They d
not insist upon specific arbitrar
rate for their proportion.
: Il am assured" said Mr.. Cunnin,
t ham, "by the authorities Of tt
e Pennsylvania railroad that this is a
a error. They say they have offered
. allow initial lines to make any rat
and that they would prorate on
mileage basis on all classes of freigh
:. The rate from Atlanta to Chicago is
cents per 100, exclusive of refriger
8 tor charges. Of this amount IL
d roads from Atlanta to the Ohio rive
g a distance of 444 miles, receives .
8 cents per 100, the roads north of Il
Ohio to Chicago, a distance of 3:
4 miles, receive only II cents per 10
a which shows that our own roads d
= mand the lions share. So this &C
'e tainly fixes the responsibility on Il
initial lines"
!. While scoring the railroads N
- Cunningham told why the eannil
= business has been such dismal "a
" ure in Georgia.
d, He laid the blame at the door
l. the southern railroads whose CT
l. throat, vampire methods Of assessil
ot --
lOontnued ON Fourth Pags.l