The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1905-05-16

AEfSEE AAaSt sE n eOAuftOu 10E lf2fkGf~
Ing Truck Crops.
The failure OF rhe strawberry truck
ers OF eastern Carolina To get their
crop 70 the northern marketes this
spring is laid at the door of the trans
portation companies, especially is sne
Armour Refrigerator Car Company held
to be guilty OF negligence in not sup
plying cars fast enough to carry the
strawberries to market But whate ser
the negligence may be on the part OF
the Armour people, the solution of Inc
car anime would not mean the success
OF the strawberry growers. or any OF
b southern truck growers, for so far
as the eastern Atlantic coast people
are concerned, il there were cars
enough at every point Of accumulation
there would be me fatal defect which
now exists, namely. a single track 10
b northern markets over which the
truck must be carried TO the consum-
ing market.
Already the truckers in the New Ben
section are complaining shout their
shipments being slow, i Irregular and
from twenty-four to forty-eight hours
late in reaching their destination.
which means deterioration in the con-
dition Of the produce, and loss TO tae
grower. There is no loss TO the trans
portation companies, their pay and
profits come regardless of bad ship
ments to the producer.
A knowledge of the railroad facilities
for the handling CT the vast and ever
increasing truck crops along the At
lantic sea coast shows the present fault
of this congested condition in trans-
%pOrtation, and it is easy to recognize
the fact that a era famine, alone, is
not the aus The trouble lies with
the Atlantic Coast Line, with it's single
track over which it is pretending TO
handle all its transportation, freight,
passenger and mail.
This company is ostensibly saying
to the vast trade interests along its
single track Of load, stretching from
Florida to the north, give us your ous-
mess. From this single track in every
state are branch roads. which are
commercial feeders to the single track
road of this company's system. At
ILLS ScdSOu VI tuS sSdl tuCiC
sands of cars seeking northern markets
and this single track road must handle
these cars going north, must bring
back the cars for additional lead
ings, at the same time the regular pas
senger and mail service both ways
must be carried on.
Is it any wonder that this one track
railroad is congested, that truckers are
losing all their possible profits, that
mail facilities are hampered throughout
the section which this road traverses
that freight, passenger and mail must
just wait, until this railroad company,
with it's single track, relieves the con-
gestion, to let out a few cars going
north, or. r~eceives~a few ars coming
south.
And this condition is not to be IN:
better, but rather worse, each year
for the country is growing crops are
larger, more branch roads are being
constructed, and yet one single track
road is made to serve the company, not
the people, and business is being sought
immigrants are asked to come and SCI
tie in a section where the transporta
ton companies cannot get the present
farmers products to market.
There must be some early solution to
this kind of marketing of the truck
crops of the Atlantic seacoast county,
or the truck growers must go out CT
basiness.-New Bern Journal.