The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1902-12-19

steamboat wharves.
The Eastern Shore is now well
supplied with ira sportation ia.
ciities. The New York, Phila
delphia and Norfolk Railroad runs
directly through the center of the
peninsula and provides transpOr.
tation for produce from the sea-
side and immediate center and
northern part of AccOmac, which
now has no steamboat line. Pro.
duce shipped by this road usually
goes directly to the Eastern mar
kets-Boston, New York, PrOvi
dence and Philadelphia. The
Baltimore, Chesapeake and At
lantic Railroad Company runs a
line of steamers from all the lead
ing shipping points on the bayside
to Baltimore every day of the
week. The produce from the
Western markets-Chicago, Gin
cinni, Cleveland and St. Louis
is usually shipped by this route,
about "a hours being gained there
by. All products shipped by this
route are consigned to the order
of the general manager and are
shipped out from Baltimore the
next morning. The general man
ager, Mr.. William a. Burton, is
the executive of the exchange,
and he keeps in close touch with
all shipments, seeing that no mar
ket is overStocked. AS a result
of this policy the prices to farmers
have steadily increased, and they
are now able to sell their goods at
a profit instead of at loss.
The general exchange is located
at Onley, which is central point
between Cape Charles, on the
south, the terminus of the New
York, Philadelphia and Norfolk
Railroad, and New Church, on
the line between Virginia and
Maryland at the north. The gen
eral office is connected by spec
ial private telephone system with
all the local Offices and shipping
points, so that the large business
can be conducted with system and
proper dispatch.
The growers haul their products
to the depots and wharves, and
after they are properly inspected
by thh local inspectors and
branded according to their merits
they are then turned over to the
10 al agent, who makes a record
of each shippers goods and then
makes his report to the general
Office by manifest sheets giving
shippers name and quantity of
goods and the mum Der of he car in
which they are loaded. The agent
then ships them OH consignment
or on orders from consumers or
obbers, as he is directed by the
general office.
On the inspection system and
proper grading of goods handled
by the exchange has largely
hinged the success of the move
ment. This has been appreciated
10y the trade as IA great improve
ment over the old slipshOd method
of packing.
The exchange has one or more
selling agents in the great dis
tributing markets, such as Balti
more, New York, Boston, Phila
delphia and Providence, who look
after the goods consigned to these
markets, and when sales are made
report the prices received for each
shippers products to the general
Office and make returns for these
consigned goods direct to the
growers. The great idea, how,
ever, of the movement, is to sell
the goods on All "f. 0. b." basis
that is. on orders sent direct to
the exchange, the goods being
sold when delivered to railroad or
steamer-and by judicious distri-
button prevent any market from
becoming Oversupplied and thus
break prices. BY this system of
packing and the wide advertise
ment of its brand the consignment
of potatoes on a commission buSiS
is almost thing of the past.
Fully 80 per cent of the entire
output this year was sold free on
board at shipping point.
The growth of the exchange has
been steady from its organization.
The number of embers is increas-
ing and more produce is put III its
hands to sell. The first year of
its organization was a trial year,
and the profits and the cost of
management and other expenses
were abont equal. But in 1901
the people had gained confidence
in the management and saw the
benefits resulting from the proper
distribution of products, and a
business amounting to about
$3.50, 900 was done on a capital of
a little over SO, 600, each member
being compelled to own one share
before he is allowed to ship
through the exchange. That year
, a dividend of 100 per cent was de-