The Savannah morning news., 1900-08-05
DISCOUNT FOR PREPAYMENT.
PLAN For ADJUSTING RAILROADS
AND FRUIT GROWERS DIFF
FERENCE.

New Way Out of the Woods That Has
Appealed to Mai. G. NJ. RyaIs and
what He suggests-He Wants the
Growers to Prepay Freight
Charges and Have the Railroads
Give "A Discount, Representing Adj
dftions Made for Charges Not Col
Iected-PIsn Would Have Adyan
tages to Growers other Than Saw
ing for Freisht-Growers Would
select Fruit Carefully.
Maj. G. NJ. Ryals has returned from the
annual meeting of the State Horticultural
Society with some new views of the prop
er remedy for the correction of the evils
now attending the fruit and vegetable in
dustries in this state.
Mai. Ryals was impressed with the cor
rectness of these views before he left Sa-
vannah to attend the meeting and dis
cussed them with Commissioner of Agri-
culture Stevens and others; after hear
ing the arguments of those who propose
and urge the adoption of course differ
ent from THAI he favors, he is more than
ever convinced that he is in the right and
that his proposition, if favored by the
fruit and veget able growers and the plan
il outlines is encouraged by the transport
tation companies, will result in a consid-
cradle ameliorat ton of the conditions now
prevailing and of which constant COM
pladnt is made.
Every railroad that handles perishable
products said Maj. Ryals last night,
''undergoes every year a considerable loss
from the failure or refusal of consignees
of fruit and vegetable shipments TO re-
ceive them. the refusal being on the
ground that the vegetables have been
ruined in transit and are no longer fit for
the market This loss is suffered every
year and must be taken into account by
the railroads in fixing their scale of
freight charges.
my plan is to have the growers prepay
the freight upon consignments of perish
ables and thus guard the railroads
against the possibility of this loss With
this element of loss excluded, it seems TO
me clear that the roads could afford to
diminish their charges by the amount
that they add to them for the purpose of
meeting it. I regard this as clear and
clean business proposition, that, as bust
ness men, the railroad officials could af-
ford to consider.
Certainly, they must realize that their
interests are identical to a large extent
with those of the growers, and that if
the industry is killed or discouraged their
profits vanish in the general destruction,
or are diminished by the extent of the
decrease in the fruit and vegetable acre
who are willing and anxious to prepay
freight, If 1t will result in any advantage
to them cannot receive from the roads
such discount as is made to the whole
sole merchant who purchases for cash.
The discount represents the amount add
ed to the net price for the loss incurred
by reason of bad debts, and the railroads
might well afford to give to growers
discount. based in amount upon the addi-
ton made to their rates by reason of the
charges they do not collect"
Maj Ryals urged this plan before the
assembled fruit growers of the state at
Dublin. The question of transporta ton
was discussed at length, and there
was much wild talk of appealing to the
Legislature and 10 Congress for remedial
legislation. The Transportation Commit
tee OF the society was continued without
change, and the decision of the question
reserved for the next meeting. No action
was taken, therefore, and the plan sug-
gested by Maj. Ryals suffered the fate
OF the various others submitted for the
consideration of the members of the So
ciety.
He believes that besides the saving in
freight charges that the adoption of his
plan would probably effect for the grow
ers, It would have other beneficial res ufts.
When the growers came to realize that
they must pay for the freight on their
shipments, whether they brought any
thing or not, they would be relieved of
much of the temptation to ship inferior
stock. When there is a possibility of the
fruit or vegetables reaching the markets
for which they are destined at a time
of scarcity, whenever inferior stock COM
mands good prices, the grower will take
his chances, if he does not have to pre-
pay the freight. Consigning a shipment
of poor fruit to his representative, he will
let the issue rest in the hands of Provi-
dence. If he strikes a short market, he
Will make money; if he strikes a
flooded market, he will lose nothing but
the fruit, that would have been spoiled
anyhow by few more days on the trees,
and the packages in which it is shipped.
He pays nothing for freight.
IF a fruit grower, for instance said
Maj. Ryals, "has to prepay $3.50 on every
carload of peaches that he ships. he will
be particularly careful that the fruit is of
the best. He will not ship inferior stock.
AS direct consequence the marke.s will
preserve a healthy tone and will not be
beaten down by an influx Of fruit not fit
for anything but the crematory or the
gartage pile Selectirg his peaches with
care the grower will discard those that
are not of the best quality and will in
this manner save in expense for packing,
leading, packages and freight. For a time
this practice may result in a decrease In
the volume of ths crop, but 1t will be
made up by the increase in the crop acre
age, that will follow in the wake of the
improved conditions it will induce"
Various propositions that have been
made to the railroads by the growers have
not met with a very encouraging recep-
ton from the former. Maj. Ryals intends
to submit his proposition directly to the
officials of seine of the roads, and he
hopes that some modification OF ii, at