The San Francisco call., 1897-02-06
Fruit-Growers Ask for an
Increase in the
Tariff.
Eastern Market Flooded by For.
eign Prunes, Raisins and
Walnuts.
D. II. Porter of Porter Bros. Voices
the sentiment of the Trade
in California.

By no class perhaps in the community
is the approaching installation of McKin-
| ley and the dawn of a new administra-
| ton pledged to ameliorative measures
more confidently ANTICIPATED than by the
fruit-growers of California and the COM
mission merchants who handle their
products.
The Mckinley protective tariff form erly
guaranteed to these i'm portant interests q
satisfactory degree of prosperity. but the
latter was unhappily short-lived, and the
passage of the Wilson bill was the signal
for its extinction. The prospect of a
| speedy resumption of protective tariff,
coupled with an inadequate supply from
other sources in the Eastern market,
caused an immediate increase of Califor-
ia shipments last year, which may be
taken as an augury OF permanent pros
perity when the President-elect is actu-
ally installed.
d. Ii. Porter of Porter Bros, the COM
mission merchants Of California street,
expressed the general sentiment of the
trade In conversation with CALL repre-
sentative yesterday. During the last
thirty days" he said, I'VE have made
two shipments, consisting OF 10000 boxes
each, of prunes to France and Hamburg,
and last year quite a mum ber of carloads
were supplied TO foreign markets. Re
cent advices received from wholesalers
who handled these shipments state that
they are the first fruit ever imported into
France. The prunes in question were of
the largest size, going forty and fifty TO
| the pound, which are rarely seen in
| France in any quantity.
lit should be added that this apparent
g,x1 So. 4HN..A H. =
erage conditions. The margin of profit
! for the last three or four years has been
virtually nil. Last season, however, we
| made bare living owing to extremely
short crops in the East, with the exception
| OF the apple crop, which was unusually
large, and the exhaustion OF the previous
years shipments. This com moination of
] favorable circumstances created demand,
which, however, cannot be relied on to
occur with very great frequency.
| The present DUTY upon prunes of III
cents pound is entirely inadequate, as
it allows Turkish, French and German
prunes to undercut US in the New York
market. The prices of California fruits
are directly affected, because, as a mat
| ter of fact, the Eastern buyers never
discriminate, nor do they pay exclusive
| regard to quality, but purchase the cheap
est article In the market. As far as peaches
| and apricots are concerned, we are not
afraid OF competition, but California
! raisins, almonds and walnuts need protec-
ton. The California almond ia admittedly
| the finest in the world. lis shell is softer
| than ana Its flavor superior to that OF any
| other variety produced abroad.
1--WE are of opinion that cent and
| half increase of the present duty on
prunes, or a total duty OF about cents,
would prove satisfactory. the duty on
| nuts should be 5 cents, at least. l am no.
absolutely sure of the amount of the exist
ing duty on prunes, but believe it TO be as
stated; in any event it is very light. The
Mckinley bill afforded us the necessary
protection in this particular. but the Wiz
son bill enforced the reductions / refer to-
The commission merchant should prop
erly make a net profit of 5 per cent and
the grower or 3 cents pound over and
above all expenses. AT present if he real
lied half a cent be is doing well.
1.-THE restoration of the tariff, if it pro-
vides the necessary duty on California
fruits, will benefit the State generally.
The farmer will begin to make money,
and when the farmer Is prosperous every
body is prosperous. The State is inter-
ested in this question to the extent of
millions of dollars, and it is nothing more
than reasonable for us to demand a GER
tain deeree of protection. Bear in mind
that We do not ask for anything in the
shape of bounty.
"The Cham Der of Commerce has taken
the matter up, and shortly after McKln-
leys election nearly every commission
house here, handling fruit, sent samples
TO the President-eiect, with an accom-
panying request that he would bear in
mind the fact that California needs pro-
lection. We look for better trade next
year-provided, of course, that the Nc
kinley tariff restores the duty on Caifor-
mia fruitS -