The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1898-06-24

his Office, and for the ex-
cellent and thorough report which
he has made to your board, and ex-
| press their regret that the growers
have failed to cooperate with him in
carrying out his Instructors in regard
| to the distribution Of their crop"
Mr.. c. NJ. Steinmetz, secretary Of the
executive committee, read sundry
amendments to the constitution and
bylaws, submitted by TIE board of dI-
%rectors, but they were laid over to
come up under the head of new bust
ness.
BERRY SHIPMENTS.
MI. II. T. Bauman, shipping master
of the association, then e his re-
port, giving an account Of the expen-
SEES of his department and furnishing
a detailed and comprehensive account
Of the shipment and distribution Of
strawberries during the season recent
ly ended. In his report, Mr.. Bauman
says:
1.-THE season just closed has not been
satisfactory as to prices obtained and
transportation service as a whole.
The distribution has been carried out
as we'll as it could be under the cir
cumstances. A great lea of obstruc-
ton, or rather a disposition to ignore
the instructions issued from this Of
flee, came from within as we'll as from
without the association. With all
these drawbacks, however, the i'm
mens crop of 265, 600 crates of straw
berries was marketed at a
profit although the margin
was small. The average net re-
turns last season was over ten cents
per quart, while this season it is about
8 cents per quart. The net result last
season was 1925, 401. go. This season
it is 1878, 974. Ga difference to the
growers this season of $154, 572.6 60. The
total shipments last season were 161,-
1888 crates. This season they amount
ed to 265,615 crates, making the ex-
cess for this season of 1O7,427 crates.
This seasons business has demon
strated beyond the shadows of a doubt
that we have a colossal industry to
look after, and as o as We realize
the important fact that we must all
pull together and get down to a sy-
stematic basis, harmonic our differ
ences, and with a determination that
| this great Industry shall be a success,
the better off WE will be individually
and collectively. AS the record shows
over 265, 900 crates Of berries nave
been shipped this season from this
section and our common sense teaches
us that with this amount of fruit 60
ing into market, complete cooperation
n concert of action are the only
means of saving this great industry
you have labored SO hard to build up,
and | am ure you will not see the
fruits of years Of hard labor thrown
away without a desperate struggle.
Your president, board of directors and
executive committee have all labOred
INCREASINGLY to reduce the charges on
marketing this crop each year and
win success, and you know as we'll as
any one that but for this organization,
the Eastern Carolina Truck and
Fruit Growers Association, the reduc-
tion in freight and refrigerator rates
would never have been accomplished"
The shipping master discusses
many other matters of Importance to
the association. He says that during
the season there have been numerous
complaints that shipments of berries
LAY reached the markets in bad con |
ditiOn, owing to unsatisfactory trans
portatiOn facilities, delayed trains, and
improper icing of the cars. He asserts, |
however, that it is we'll known that
many shippers have not delivered
their berries at the stations in proper
shipping order. He states that dur |
ing the season the refrigerator cars
carried 1875, 900 crates of the berry
crop to market, and in discussing the
expense of marketing the crop he
| says:
Common intelligence teaches us
that with from 40 to so representatives
on the road, not including local agents
| and all high salaried men, that a COM
mission of five per cent to the COM
| mission houses is out of the question.
I am satisfied that not less than $1O,-
900 has been spe-t this season by COM
mission houses in soliciting our ship
ments and the growers paid every cent
of it,"
DR.. E. Porter, of Rocky Point, in!
quired of the shipping master if he
had any information of the acreage in
berries and other truck, n suggested
that probably the truckers were fall |
ing into the error of the cotton grow |
ers-over production. The shipping
master Informed DR.. Porter that he
had not the statistics he inquired for. !
DR.. Porter complimented the ship |
ping master for the systematic and
painstaking work he had done in pre- |
pairing his report and moved that the
thanks of The association be voted to !
him. The motion "a unanimously
adopted. |
Secretary and treasurer D. H. Harm |
ly read his report of the finances OF
the a .~scciation and the same was ac-
cepted. Z ~ Il
AMENDMENTS TO THE CONSTITU-
TON.
The amendments to the constitution
and bylaws, submitted by the board
of directors, were taken up unde the