The record-union., 1899-05-24

.
the present crisis. Our committee is IN
structed to submit it's report to gen,
eral convention of fruit-growers to be neiu
and in order that we may be able 10 place
the whole matter before the growers, as as
accurately and intelfigently as possible,
we respectfully request you to inform US
on the following points:
1st-Is the Southern Pacific Company
prevented by any arrangements with tn tne n
Fruit-Growers Express and the Cont
mental Fruit Express from permitting any
competing line of refrigerator cars from
entering California and competing Ir TOT
shipments of green fruit, and II not, VIII
the company extend to one or more EaSt-
( ern refrigerator lines the same facilities
f6n3Gyed by ~ bi fhe fSiSfng lines for
2d-f the fruit-growers of California de-
eide to establish an Independent car line
and perfect an organization for that pur-
cars and on what terms and conditions
3d-Will the Southern Pacific supply a
proper and sufficient equipment of ven
tilatOr cars?
4th-If the company has not a sufficient
equipment of ventilator cars to meet the
wants of the growers, will it build or
convert cars for that purpose?
5th-If so, how soon will the company
undertake to furnish the cars required?
6th-What is the Southern Pacific will
ing to do in the direction of inaugurating
an expedited ventilator train service
through Ogden or more easterly points?
7th--Nill the company haul and give the
same service and time to ventilator cars
that has been given to refrigerator cars
By answering these questions so that we
ing to the convention, you will confer a
great favor on the fruit-growers of Cali
fornia Very respectfully.
R. D. STEPHENS. Chairman.
THE ANSWER.
The company's answer, which is as
follows, was then read:
San Francisco. May 20, 1899.
r. D. Stephens, Chairman of Committee
on Transportation, Growers Asso-
citation, Sacramento, Cal-Dear Sir: An
swering your letter of the 18th instant,
handed me by you in person with oral
explanations pertaining thereto:
1 beg to remind you that it has always
been the desire of this company that the
fruit of California producers reach East
ern markets at the least practicable cost,
and it cannot be charged that this COM
panyL was party to the Introduction or
development of the refrigerator plan OF
transportation except insofar as we
yielded to the representations and expert
ence of the shippers and growers, accept
favor of the refrigerator system.
For several years the fruit moved in
ventilated fruit cars built by the carriers
especially for the traffic and furnished
without expense to those who desired to
load them. Shippers We're not satisfied
with the yentilator car. whether run on
fruit trains, and insisted that only under
refrigeration could CALIFORNIA; fruit be
successfully placed in Eastern markets.
Still there We're some who in convention
and in person expressed themselves as
certain that the transportation in ven
tilated cars could be made successful, and
in express compliance with these repre-
Sertations this company added to it's ven
tilator equipment 100 double-walled paper
bodied all the valuable points in construc-
ton and ventilating appliances developed
by experience. These cars We're as always
before placed at shippers disposal with
charge hot hn
expectation of handling the business in
ventilated cars was not well founded and
they were not used but the business for
which they were built moved instead in
refrigerators. For this company it was a
costly experiment, made in sincere effort
to meet the views of the fruit-groWers'
under promise in convention that the cars
would be used. Our ventiator equipment
so provided has consequently since been
converted into box cars, and there is no
changed condition with respect to trans
portation in ventilated cars that would
warrant the carriers in restoring at great
expense equipment which has failed to
stand the test of experience and been dis
carded by the growers and shippers.
The present refrigerator system of
transportation is one developed by the
demand of the shippers. 1t began in 1888
with call for refrigerators operated by a
line that would undertake to handle the
fruit through from point of shrment to
destination under ice, and the initial re-
frigerator line in the traffic started at the
instance of growers upon the same gen
a
that the charges for refrigeration at that
time were from $50 to $120 per car higher
than now Owing to adverse reasons
financial or commercial but with which
this company was in no wise concerned
one refrigerator company after another
dropped out of the traffic, this company
refrigerator car the utility of which was
proved by its general use on the part of
| the growers. Last year three lines of
refrigerator cars were provided, but out
of some AGO cars of fruit shipped all but
hundred or so were loaded in Fruit
Growers Express and Continental Fruit
Express cars. This centralZatiO of fruit
in these two refrigerators caused us to
follow the lead of the shippers and engage
from the Fruit-Growers' Express ard
Continental Fruit Express all the refrig-
orators needed for this traffic
| Our response to your first and second
questions consequently is that we have
necessary for the deciduous fruit traffic.
| Were we to accept special lines of re-
lrlg;erators III a;ers IN endeayor to satisfy the
/ those promoting individual car lines, we
would nave so many refrigerato on the
/ line and under such variety of auspices
! that serious confusion would develop to-
! gether with multitude of cars for which
there would be no loads. We have al
/ ready mad experience of this kind and
/ from the highly perishable nature of the
! traffic and large quantity to move must
know in advance from what source cars
are obtanable, have reasonable assurance
of loads. and of adequate facilities for
/ icing and care of the refrigeratio on the
way to every deStina nation-diversions in
transit Notwithstanding. Refrigeration is
matter of method and expense apart
! from the transportation it involves fore
sight and organization. and arrangements
which cannot be left to haphazard
As to the remaining questions your let
| ter recites, new ventilated cars could moi
! be obtained at this late date and we have
none of the ventilated fruit cars formerly
! in the service except such as are neces-
sary for our strictly local business. We
put them into the through traffic, because
in the through they would make two pos
Siblv three. trips in the season wherea as
in the local traffic they make many trips
and are used continuously. To take them
out of that service would cripple it unWar-
rantably to the injury of the California
| grower OF fruits and vegetables desiring
to have his product handled short dis.
| tanceS in suitable cars which to IN,
grower is quite as important in its wav as
is the through movement 60
| trust YOU will pardon the observa-
ton. that this companys relation to the
refrigerator lines is the same now as in
previous seasons, the company has nr NJ
interest in either line, and the cars en-
gagged for the service are those which
the shippers have designated by their use
of them, the others being dropped merely
| because of non-use: hence we depreca Re
| the present agitation because of its ten.
values in year which otherwise affords
every prospect of attracting to California
| fruit interests the favorable attention OF
| the nation, giving the State a new i'm.
petus toward increased prosperity Very
respectfully yours.
WILLIAM SPROUIE.
The communication was listened to