The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-04-01
TRUCKERS TALKED RATES
THE DISPOSAL OF THEIR CROPS is
ALL IMPORTANT.


Were Received with Favor.
Growers. viii Use That Route More
Than Heretofore.
A meeting of the Truck Growers Asso-
citation of Chatham county was held yes
terday at noon at the court house to dis
cuss transportation rates on vegetables
from Savannah to the north. The action
taken by the truckers was highly favor
able to the Ocean Steamship Co., the
chances for the rail lines getting very
much business during the coming season
being considerably reduced.
There was not very large attendance.
only eight or ten truck growers being pre-
sent. These; however, with one or two
exceptions, are extensive growers, and the
action taken will result in a great deal of
the business of the Savannah shippers
going from the railroads by which it
has been handled for the past several
years to a large extent, TO the steamship
line. The action taken at the meeting
will not be regarded as binding by all the
growers nor, probably, by even all those
in the association, but it will nevertheless
have its influence, and the traffic of the
steamship line in vegetables raised in the
neighborhood of Savannah bids fair to be
placed upon something like the basis of
several years ago, when the producers
shipped almost exclusively by water.
The meeting was called TO order by Maj.
G. NJ. Ryals, president of the Association.
He stated that 1t was not wholly meet
ing of the association, as others had been
invited to be present, and suggested that
MIR. f. L. Exley be made chairman. This
suggestion was adopted There were rail-
| road, steamship, commission men and
| truckers, not members of the association
present, and it was desired that they have
a chance to be heard For this reason
it was judged best to allow the meeting
to be opened to all who felt an interest
in II.
Among the prominent truck growers
present were Maj. Ryals, Mr.. Nj. l.. Eek
ley, Mr.. f. l.. Exley, Mr.. c. e. c. Fell
and MIR. j. L. Butler. Commercial Agent
John f. Burns of the Ocean Steamship
Company, Mr.: Smith ID. Pickett general
agent at Jacksonville for the Southern
| Railway; MIR. William Butler, travelling
freight and passenger agent, and Mr. A,
| A. Avehe, local agent of The Florida Cen
trail and Peninsular Railroad, represented
their lines. Mr. w. S. Gavan of the firm
of c. P. Tatem & Co, Baltimore, and Mr.
Frank w. Nix of John Nix & Co., New
York, were the commission men.
After MIR. Exley had assumed the chair
Mr.. Fell was called upon to report as
chairman of committee appointed to see
the officials of the Ocean Steamship Com
pany about rates to the eastern cities a
letter from Traffic Manager e. H. Hinton
was read This gave the rates that went
into effect March 3d. having been promul-
gated by the company at the request of the
committee of growers The letter stated
that the rate to New York from Savan-
nah on standard barrels of produce will be
40 cents instead of AZ, as heretofore. On
standard crates, or baskets, the rate IA
now 20 cents, the reduction being from %
cents.
Mr.. Hinton also called attention to the
fact of the steamship company having
arranged for a a. m. delivery of pro-
duce from the vessels, the hour hereto
fore having been a. m. This was receiv-
ed with as great favor as the reduction in
rates, the consensus of opinion among
the growers being that their produce will
stand a much better chance to be sold for
a fair price and in good condition If de-
livered at the earlier hour.
Some of the truck growers present re-
garded the reduction offered as very
small, but attention was drawn to its be-
| ing 10 per cent, and figures were given to
show how much the difference will
amount to to the growers who ship as
many as two of three thousand barrels
of potatoes and several thousand crates
of beans, peas, cucumbers and tomatoes
| The general feeling was favorable toward
the company for having allowed the re-
auctions.
The matter of earlier delivery aroused
u great deal of discussion. After the let
ter and the accompanying tariff sheet had
been read by Mr.. Fell article from one
of the Northern journals on vegetable
| growing was read, at the instance of
| Maj. Ryals, by the secretary. This dealt
with the conditions at New York, giving
the views entertained by the commission
men and the buyers upon the advisa bility
of Savannah truck being put on the mar
ket at such an early hour
This article was heard with interest
and, at its conclusion, Mr.. Nix was in
vited to give the growers some inforna-
ton about existing conditions in New
York. His talk was a long one, dealing
infinitely with the situation. He was op-
posed to the early hour saying that all
the leading commission men of the metro
polls agree with him in the opinion that
the buyers cannot be induced to visit the
wharves of the steamship company at
that hour, on account of the PENNSYLVANIA
Railroad and Old Diminion wharves offer
ing greater inducements to them. He said
there is a greater diversity of produce
Offered for sale at the wharf of the Penn
sylNania Railroad, which also opens. at 2
a. m and that for this reason the buyers
would prefer to go there, as they can buy
all they want at once.
To the statements that the New York
market for vegetables is practically over
by o'clock, the hour at which the steam
ship company has been accustomed to de-
! liver the freight, Mr.. Nix took executions
saying the wharves are visited by MANY
of the best buyers at that hour. MIR. puf
Ter made the assertion that none but lot
of the most insignificant buyers go TO In.
wharves at the late delivery; that he had
spent considerable time in New York and
| had observed such to be the case. This
point was not ceded by Mr.. Nix. who al.
so objected, in his own behalf and in that
| of the other commission houses of New
| York, to the steamers on account of the
! time required in transit. He said some of
the vessels are regarded as too slow for
the vegetables to be likely to reach tho
market in the best condition.
| Mr. Nix said he was ready 70 do au tto