The record-union., 1896-03-03
VOICE OF THE PRESS.
Expressions Of Interior California
Newspapers.
Comments Upon Things Local, Gov
ernmental, Practical, Theoret-
ical and Current.

Oakland Tribune: Word comes from
Southern California that the Eastern
market for oranges has so greatly i'm
proved recently that fruit exchanges
have raised the price for citrus fruits.
1t is now within week of March, and
less than half of the orange crop has
been shipped to market. Then comes
the old story of the way the orange
market was ruined this year by whole
sale shipments of unripe fruit to San
Francisco and Eastern cities in De-
cember
The fact is there were no oranges in
Southern California that were suffi-
GENTLY matured to ship in December, or
not enough to make any figure in the
market. Half-ripe fruit was showed off
by the carload. The only we'll ma
tured citrus fruit that could be found in
the State during that month was pro-
duced in the northern counties, where
the orange crop matured a full month
sooner than it did in Southern Cali
fornia. But the growers in that part of
the State could not resist the tempta-
ton to send out carloads of immature
fruit. This proceeding had much to do
with spelling the marlAt.
Then the condition was made much
worse by large shipments of frosted
oranges in January. The report is that
800 carloads of such fruit were shipped.
The probability is that the shipments
were much greater. 1t is known that in
the single district of Riverside there
were more than 500 carloads of oranges
that were unfit for market Much or
the fruit was shipped Immediately after
the cold snap. 1t was given out that it
would be destroyed. But there is rea-
son to believe that the great amount of
worthless fruit that appeared stimuli
in San Francisco and in the
Eastern markets accounts for the way
in which the growers turned it to ac-
count.
FACTS ABOUT GOOD ROADS.
San Diego Union: Members of the
State Bureau of Highways have now
travelled over 900 miles in their vari-
Gus trips through the State. They have
gathered a large amount of informa-
tion which should be of great impor-
tance when legislation is sought for
improving the thoroughfares of Cali
fOrnia. In addition to this, they have
accomplished much by arousing the in
terest of the people. If there be d sem
timental or esthetic side of the good
roads movement, however, the Commits
sioners have studiously kept it in the
background. They are mainly occu-
pied in presenting hard facts and fig
ures. For example, when the commits
sion was at Fresno recently Mr.. Maude,
one Of the members, made a little talk
in which he presented the following
summary of the cost of bad roads: The
value of the total farm products of the
United States is placed at $500, ,00O,
000 To haul these products to the de-
pots for shipments costs each year
$500, 100000, or 40 per cent. of the en-
tire crop. Forty per cent. of this $780,
000, 900 is dead loss. That is, this haul
ing could be done for 1896, 100000 less
If the roads were good. If the roads
were good, hauling which now costs
$500, ,000,000 could be done for S594,
600, ,000 The difference is dead loss.
This absolute loss, if saved and put to
use, would build $4,000 miles of mag
nificent road each year at cost of $10,-
900 per mile.
BY A DREAMER.
Colusa Sun: The several labor or
ganizations met in convention a few
days ago and adopted a series of resolu-
tions The paper is well written and
might easily receive the Endorsement of
all the world. It was written, however,
by some dreamer who wrote in entire
disregard to the world as it is. If man
kind were perfect, if we had entered
about the second decade of the mil