The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1906-03-10

for the great onomic and Industrial
step. Then appeared the first crude
meat refrigerator car
Mr.. Armour states that properly
speaking, the first refrigerator car was
not a refrigerator car at all, but simply
an Ice box on wheels with a cargo Of
meat heaped upon the ice and COM
ing directly in contact with it. He
describes the evolution of this crude
attempt at building refrigerator cars
through its various phases to it's pres
ent state Of perfection, and the rea-
sons why the cars are owned by pri-
vate parties instead of by the railroa d
companies. and further how the BUSH
ness is expanded from the carrying of
meat to the transporting of all perish
able commodities.
The reason that refrigerator cars are
owned by private companies, Mr. Ar
mour says, Is because the railroads re-
fuse to build and furnish them to the
packers after it became evident that
they were success, and that the only
way the packing companies can Sc
cure refrigerator cars was to build them
themselves and make contracts with
He then described how the refrieer-
ator car service expanded from the
meat business and carrying fruit and
produce from the orchards and fields,
and putting it upon the market in a
better condition than it had before been
possible to do Mr.. Armour then gives
the reason why 1t is impracticable for
the railroad companies to own the re-
fr1gerator cars. He says that the fruit
season for instance, of Georgia and
Alabama is very short That while it
| lasts there is great demand for re-
fr1gerator cars, but it would never pay
Southern railroad to build cars to
carry this fruit to market and then let
them lie idle until next season; while
on the other hand, private car compan-
!! les who own the cars can make con-
tracts with the railroads to haul the
cars and, as soon as there Is no more
! call for them in one locality thew can
use them in another.
| Mr.. Armour makes out a strong case
for the privately owned refrigerator
system under existing conditions and
probably very largely tells the truth
when he says, "the fact of the matter
Is that the whole agitation started
against the private refrigerator ca,
system originated with the commission
men Of the country and not with the
growers These middle men are the
nanipulators Of the campaign that Is
being prosecuted for the express pur.
pose Of putting the private car line,
out of business. With Washington, D
c. as a center. these commission mer
are pushing an extensive propaganda
based on the cry that the grower is be.
ing oppressed by the private car line.
and that this Is the growers fight FOL
a. chance to do business at profit
All of the cunning at the command Of
these mon Is focused on the one pur
pose of spreading everywhere the i'm
preston that the private car system
Is an octupus that is strangling tn,
fruit growing industry. What are tn,
facts In the case? The growers ar,
satisfied with the private car, with it,
service and with its system, which the,
recognize has been the biggest facto
in building up their business to it.
present proportion and stability, an,
the opening to them the markets O
the entire country. This, I>repeat, i
not the fight of the growers, but of tn
commission men,"
We are Inclined to believe Mr.. Ar
mour Is In the main correct when h
says that 1t Is the commission mel
rather than the fruit growers who ar,