The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1903-09-11
GRIP ON FRUIT GROWERS.
Armours Have Monopoly of Carrying from
Michigan Fruit Belt.

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The fruit growers Of the entire state OF
Michigan are complaining bitterly that
they are in the monopolistic grasp OF Ar
mour a Cos private car line. 1t Is
asserted in every fruit growing section
in the state that the Armour car line
and the Fruit Growers Dispatch, which
is an Armour concern, are making exac-
tons upon the shippers which in some
cases almost amount to contiscation.
Never before has the condition been
quite so bad for growers, il is claimed, as
it is this year. Armour Il Co. have sue
ceeded in driving every other fruit carry;
ing concern out of the state of Michigan
and is compelling the railroad compa-
MES to use only Armour cars in the
transportation of Michigan fruits. This
condition, it IS asserted, enables the Ar
mour concerns to make excessive charg-
es for icing, which materially narrows
the market and compels Michigan fruit
growers to sell their fruits at the best
prices they can get near home.
So general has become the complaint
that movement is said to be on foot to
make concerted appeal to the inter
state commerce commission, hoping
thereby to gain relief which is denied
the fruit growers both by the railroads
and by Armour Il Co. The principal
complaint is that the charge for icing
the cars has been tripled and quadrupled
since Armour Il Co. secured its monop-
oily.
For example, it is charged that in 1902
icing from Michigan points to Chicago
was on the basis of 50 ton for the ice
or from So to SO car, while the charge
from the same points TO the Pittsburg
territory was from tl2 TO $40 car. AS
soon as the Armour contracts with the
Michigan railroads went into effect the
icing charge to Chicago was increased
to S25 car, and to the Pittsburg terri
tory to $50 car. Protests against these
charges, which added fully 8 cents a
bushel to the cost of the transportation
of fruit have been met, it is claimed,
with silence or flimsy excuse. These ic-
ing charges, fruit growers say, are sufli-
cient in time to completely throttle the
fruit growing industry of the entire
state, and this is the reason why the
commission is TO be asked for relief.
The grasp which Armour Il Co. have
upon the fruit industry in Michigan is
realized when it is known that not sin
Gle fruit car can be obtained unless it
bears the Armour stamp. Prior to this
year the Armour people had an exclusive
contract with the Pere Marquette rail
road, which is an amalgamation of three
former railroad systems and which
reaches large number of the fruit grow
ing centers of the state. This year Ar
mour Il Co. succeeded in securing SINH
lar contracts with every Michigan rail
road engaged in the fruit traffic. These
roads with their allied lines are the
Michigan Central the Lake Shore, the
Pere Marquette, the Grand Trunk and
the Grand Rapids and Indiana. These
contracts bind the railroad companies to
use Armour fruit cars exclusively and to
pay at the rate of three-quarters of a
cent mile.
On their part Armour 81 Co. agree to
provide sufficient number of cars to
transport all the fruit offered and to give
the best service possible, the company
establishing its own icing stations and
maintaining its own icing force. Prior
to these contracts the Merchants Dis
patch Transportation Company, an allied
company of the Michigan Central rail
road, and other concerns, it is claimed,
furnished cars for the fruit trade.
The fruit growers point to the fact that
the traffic has steadily grown until it
has reached more than 10000 cars annu-
ally and they declare that with fair
transportation charges the increase IN
the future will be very rapid.
That the railroads are apparently risk
ing dimnution of this traffic through
onerous relations with the private car line
causes considerable amazement among
the growers. When appealed to railroad
officials reply that it is impossible for
them to supply the cars for the fruit
trade. They say that the cars are spe-
cialy constructed with a view to carry
ing fruit alone, are expensive to build
and can be used not more than one or
two months in the year. To ask the rail
road companies to invest several million
dollars to provide these cars, they say
is unreasonable.
Armour 81 Co. can use their cars in
other fruit belts and by transferring
them from section to section can oper-
ate them the year round. On the other
hand, if owned by the railroad compa-
MES they would cause a large loss by
reason of not being capable of use in
general traffic.
Furthermore, the railroad officials
claim that the Armour people are the
only ones possessing cars specially con-
structed for the fruit trade. The cars fur
nished formerly by the Merchants Dis.
patch and other companies were designed
for other traffc,w small and inca pable