Arizona republican., 1902-11-14
To Help the Shipper.

To Help the Shipper.
 Mir E. P Ripley. president of the santa Fe system, announced in Los Angeles the other day that in addition to fixing a lower freight rate on lem ons to the eastern markets. his com pany had decided to establish cold storage warehouses for lemons at con shippers may place their fruit therein and await favorable markets.
 This is simp.y an experimental plan so far" he said. which I have laid before the lemon men of southern Cali | fornia. IL is not plan to store lem ons when there is q glut in the market during the winter, but to hold practi- cally all of the crop until season when lemons are in demand. It is not during the winter that people want lemons, but during the summer. We have agreed to try the experiment of storing lemons in Chicago for the growers, and caring for them system atically. day by day. until the season of the greatest demand is reached. Then, if the percentage of rotten fruit during storage can be kept down to a minimum. all concerned will profit more by their sale. To try the eXperi- ment we have agreed to transport and store lemons, free of charge, until they are sold later in the season. Then the charge for freight and storage will be only on the sound portion of the crop remaining, and not on that which may have been lost. On the proportion lost the railroad and the growers will lose alike. The success of the plan Is yet to be demonstrated"
 It is something new for Q tFansporta- tion company to wait voluntarily sev- eral months for compensation for freight carried. The lemon growers of the Pacific coast country are much more likely to benefit from MT. Rip ley's unique stsrage plan than they are from the lowering of freight rates. For a long time the owners of lemon orchards in southern Cali fornia have insisted that the stagna- tion and lack of profit in their business was due to the "exorbitant-some even said exhorbitant''-charge imposed by the Santa Fe and Southern Pacific rail ways for carrying the lemons to mark ct. A year ago, during MT. Ripley's stay on the coast, the ready letter writ CTS who know more than any railroad president knows about the traffic prob lens of the country, were loading news paper desks with "open" letters to tho Santa Fe president. All of them were sure that lower rates would prove the salvation of the lemon industry. and q few were so positive about it that they could not think of words abusive suggestions were not adopted forth with.
 MT. Ripley explained then that he was very doubtful whether lower rates would improve the situation. He had devoted considerable study to the lemon market. and was inclined to think that the importers of foreign lemons would reduce their price to consumers as soon as the new rates from California went into effect, with the result that the railroads would lose most of their profit and the lemon grower would find his income no larger. At the same time. he assured the lemon people that the San ta Fe company was anxious to foster and build up their industry. along with all other industries. and if he became convinced that it was worth while 10 try the experiment of lower freight rates the trial would be made.
 It remains to be seen whether the efforts of the railroads to help lemon growers will result in success. At any rate the people of the southwest have at hand another proof that the much abused railroad companies are earnest ly solicitous for the welfare of the peo- pie who furnish the traffic.