Los Angeles herald., 1906-03-12
FRUIT MEN GATHER
TO PLAN ACTION
Today, in the Chamber of Commerce. Delegates
Will Discuss What Action to Take Because of
Supreme Court Decision in Initial Shipments

Delegates from every fruit growing
district In Southern California, repre-
senting nearly every association,
whether large or small, will meet today
in the chamber of commerce building
in line with the suggestion in editorials
in The Herald shortly after the supreme
court decision giving the initial roads
the right to route all shipments or
fruit.
This will be one of the most impor-
tant meetings of the growers ever held
in the southwest and the probable out
come will be that a committee Will be
appointed to go to Washington.
When the decision was first rendered
the growers were staggered because 1T
was so unlocked for, for Judge Well
born had sustained them in their declar-
alton that they had the right to route
their own fruit two years before.
They realized that there was no ap-
peal from the decision and began i'm
mediately to look for means to Sc
cure relief A decision was reached that
the best thing to do was to send men
to Washington to appeal to President
Roosevelt and to ask congress that 1t
invest the interstate commerce COM
missoin with additional jurisdiction in
order to curb any action on the part
of the railroads which might be inim-
ical to the interests of the growers.
Recent Mass Meetings
During the past two weeks mass
meetings of the growers In the various
parts Of the fruit growing districts have
been held. Resolutions have been
passed favoring any plan which might
secure relief from a railroad pool and
delegates were appointed to attend the
meeting to be held today
The men who will meet here today
are not the kind of people who will
talk and not take action. They are
fruit growers who believe that their
means of making living is endangered
and, in consequence, Will struggle TO the
end for their rights.
1t is the intention of the delegates to
take action deliberately and systematic
ally. An entire plan of campaign will
be laid out today after the question
has been thoroughly discussed. 1t is
probable that the first action that will
be taken will be to appoint committee
to go to Washington. They will seek
to stir up the senate so that 1t will take
action upon the Hepburn bill.
Appeal to Roosevelt
Should they fail there, an appeal will
be made to President Roosevelt. Should
no relief be received from that source,
then an appeal will be made directly
to the American people-an appeal to
their sense of justice.
AS a last resort, If all other means
have failed, the growers may carry their
wrongs to the polls ..,.....-.
Should they do this. the influential
men say, they would undoubtedly meet
with victory, for they comprise the
majority of voters in Southern Cali
fornia.
The executive heads of the different
To lnC hsl
worked almost necessarily since the de-
cision of the supreme court on February
26 to have a meeting of the growers
representative of the interests of every
man engaged in the business.
F. Q. Story, president of the Southern
California Fruit exchange, declared that
one of the greatest grievances of the
growers has been the fact that they
have been robbed by private car lines.
Story States Grievance
1--WE have not been fairly treated by
the Southern Pacific" said Mr.. Story.
"It has turned us over to the Armour
company instead of furnishing us with
it's own cars. 1t has compelled US to
use these cars and we have been robbed.
"The icing charges have been exorpi-
tant. They have charged us $60.5O PER
car for icing between Los Angeles and
Chicago and the Chicago packers use
the same cars to the coast and are only
charged SIS for icing.
'In other words, the Armour COM
pany, as car line operators, charge
themselves the actual cost of icing and
estimate it at SIS car. Taking the cost
of ice and add 10 per cent to it for
service and the cost of icing would not
and should not be more than $50 per
car Fair rates and charges would
make a difference to California growers
of $2,000,000 a year"
Growers Complaint
The general complaint of all of the
growers is that the railroads will cake
their own time in delivering and Will
allow fruit to spoil; that damages can
not then be collected without tedious
and tiresome cases in court; that .he
railroads will not settle claims because
there is no competition on account of
pool.
The fruit growers base their claims
to the right to demand the regulation
of railroad rates on the fact that the
railroads now receive from them suni
of $10,0O0OO0 a year, or one-fourth the
amount that the fruit growers have
invested.