The record-union., 1898-01-01

pany have, in addition to their Sacra-
mento office, agencies at Vacaville,
Winters, Loomis, Penryn, Biggs, Yuba
City, Sufsun, Newcastle, Dutch Flat,
Hopland, Colfax, Concord. Marysville,
Martinez, Watsonville, Lodi, Irving,
Mayhews, Courtland, Walnut Grove,
San Leandro Santa Clara and San Jose.
They have also agencies in the San
Joaquin Valley at Visalia, Sanger, Tu-
lare, Bakersfield and Fresno In South
ern California, outside of their main
office in Los Angeles, they have agel-
cies and packing-houses at Casa
Blanca, Riverside, Redlands, High
lands, Cotton, Rialto, Cucamonga, On
tario, North Ontario, Cfaremont, Po-
mona, Lordsburg, Azusa, Covina,
Duarte, Monrovia, San Gabriel, Fer
nando, Fillmore, San Diego and Ma
tional City. The mere recapitulation
of these branches and agencies, with
their packing houses and the vast area
OF territory they govern, will give the
reader some idea of the immense busi-
ness done by the company. They keep
employed at their various packing
houses during the shipping season
nearly 1000 hands.
In addition to the markets of the
United States and Canada Porter
Brothers Company have extended their
business to Europe, and have estab-
llshed central agencies at London, Liv-
erpool, southampton, Glasgow, Paris,
Hamburg and Berlin. They have also
branch office at Palermo Italy, and
one at Toxic, Japan. The managers CT
the company have, after careful inves-
tlgatlon and trial shipments made, sat
ished themselves that the trade in Cali
fornia fresh and dried fruits can be de-
Veioped in Great Britain and on the
continent to an extent only limited by
rapldity of transportation, and, Of
course, by any probihbitory tariff laws
the continental nations might enforce.
In Great Britain that latter contingen-
cy is not likely to arise. Other things
being equal the people of Great Britain
would be willing to give the preference
to California fruits, partly because they
could be furnished to them regularly
and in larger quantities than could be
obtained from other parts of the world,
and partly because it would help to
strengthen the commercial relations be-
tween the two countries Governed by
L
have opened up a trade in that country
for California fruits which, in their
opinion, will go on steadily increasing
until California fruits are as Well
known on the streets Of London as they
now are on the streets of Chicago and
New York. Well may it be said that
the men who 90 these things are bene-
factors of the human race
Porter Brothers Company have so ex-
tended their operations that they now
handle not only citrus and deciduous
fruits, but all kinds of dried fruits,
nuts. raisins and beans. Their ship
ments for the year just closed QS9D
exceeded 1000 carloads of Pacific Coast
products. If to that large quantity be
added their shipments of apples, cram
berries and pineapples, handled by them
in Eastern markets, the total quantity
of fruit and vegetable products shipped
by them in single year would easily
exceed 5000 carloads. Averag ging the
value per carload of these shipments
the total value of them is about $1,000,
900. Large as the amount is, il does
not represent the value of the fruit at
the points of consumption, as some of
it, cherries, for instance has sold as
high as $500 a car. Such prices are
Of course, exceptional, but they may be
cited as showing the immense amount
Of money, in the aggregate. that the
fruit industry Of California keeps in
circulation.
For several years Porter Brothers
Company have been handling dried
fruits. but not until the present year
did they do so on large scale. Put
ting their green and dried fruit ship
ments together, they are now the
largest handlers of fruit products in the
world; and as it is said to be their in
tention to create greater market for
California dried fruits in Great Britain
and in some countries on the continent,
there is every proba bility that the la
boring classes in those countries viii
soon be able to include fruit in their
daily regime of diet, instead of being
obliged, as in the past, to view it in
the light of angels vists-few and far
between.
The methods for buying and selling
fruit adopted by the company IN the
beginning have been maintained ever
since. They buy f. o. b., or ship on
consignment, when such is the wish Of
the grower. Their methods and their
extended relations are such as to en-
able them to avoid jam in Eastern
markets, which would be alike Injurious
TO them as TO their clients. Their con-
tracts for fruit are made sufficiently
long in advance as not to make il nee
essary for them to grab everything in
sight, and send it along regardless OF
whether there is a good market for the
stuff or not. With direct telegra ph
wires to Chicago, New York, Boston
and their other large branches, the rep
resentative of the company on this
coast, A J. Hechtman, for several years
past the resident manager at Los An
geles, and also Vice President Of the
company, knows as well every morning
he rises from bed what the conditions
Of the Eastern fruit markets are as if.
ubiquitous like, he were in every one
of them at the same moment And f
the confidence of the fruit growers cf
California is to be gauged by the in
creased quantity of fruit handled by
Porter Brothers Company each succeed
ing year, then it may be said that the
company have acquired and maintained
the confidence of the growers in the
best sense of the word.
A Word or Two
To sufferers from catarrh viii not be
amiss if a cure can be offered Ely's
Cream Balm has become a favorite in