The Florida star., 1901-05-17
VEGETABLE FREIGHT rates.
The Complaints OF Truck Growers Inyesti-
gated BY Interstate Commission.

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The Common Carrier.
The complaint of the vegetable growers
at Gainesville and Mcintosh, Fla, has
been passed upon by the Interstate Com
merce commission. The case was brought
three years ago. The complaint was that
the rates on vegetables from the towns
named to New York and other eastern
points we're unreasonable, and unjust in
themselves, and relatively so as compared
with rates from the same Florida points
to Chicago.
After going through the matter thor
oughly, the commission could not get
definite information on the essential
points. The farmers were vague in their
testimony about the weight Of the pack
ages shipped to New York. The roads
and steamship lines which carry yeget-
ables from Florida to New York and
other northern and eastern points charge
by the barrel or crate. These crates vary
in weight. Some of the growers thought
they averaged about l25 pounds each.
The roads claimed that the packages av-
eraged $50 pounds each, and at all events
the growers could ship $50 pounds in a
package if they wished to, and would not
pay any more for it than if it weighed
only l25 pounds.
The roads which carry vegetables to
the west charge strictly by the hundred
pounds, regardless of the package
Among the points brought out in the
investigation was the fact that Florida
ships seventy-three per cent of her yeget-
ables to the north and twenty-five per
cent west.
Half of the business for the north goes
all by rail, the balance being sent to Sa-
Yannah by rail, and going thence by
steamer. Rates were higher in 1897 than
in 1888, but the weight of the crates
had increased.
The commission found that the rail-
ways have increased their facilities for
handling the vegetable crop. This kind
of freight requires quick collection of the
shipments. rapid transit TO market and
prompt delivery. As a rule, the Florida
roads allow the growers TO erect platforms
at points convenient to their farms, and
there place their packages. This is done
to save the farmers time and expense in
hauling TO the regular stations. These
platforms are often very close together,
sometimes less than a mile apart. Special
trains are run to pick mp these shipments
and carry them 10 some point of concen-
tration. There is little or no complaint
of the train service" SAYS the commission
report.
The through trains make about twenty.
five miles an hour. No stops are made
except at junction points. If "a car runs
hot, it is set out and the train proceeds.
Often the roads have 10 carry cars only
partly loaded.
The time between Florida and New
York has been reduced twenty-four hours
in the past few years. The time required
by the rail and water route via Savannah
is less than four days.
When vegetables shipped via the rail
and water route arrive in New York in
bad condition they are thrown overheard
and no charge is made for the freight. II
some of the shipments are in good condi-
ton, they are sold to pay the charges on
the bad. Farmers are not required to
prepay freight unless the market is glut-
ted, in which event they are put on notice
five days in advance. Formerly the
Pennsylvania road required the commits
sion merchants to pay freight on all ship.
ments, whether they arrived in New
York in good condition or not. Merch-
ants who refused to pay were blacklisted
This practice, however, was discontinued
four years ago.
In summing up, the commission could
not arrive at very clear conclusion, be-
cause the evidence was so indefinite; but
there was ground TO believe that the
growers were not well informed as to
their rights; and the commission suggests
TO the roads to set forth more clearly in
their tariffs the rates, charges and
| freights.
! H. Gx-o,x A. Aa.ns