The Cairo bulletin., 1907-06-20
MELON GROWERS ]
Of s. 1. MISSOURI
DEMAND ADEQUATE CAR SER.
VICE TO MOVE THEIR BIG
\ CROPS.
| 500 CARS ARE WANTED
Conference OF Growers and Railroad
Officials With state Commission
at Charleston Likely to
Desired Results.

Under date OF June Is The Bulle
tins Charleston Mo-, correspondent
writes as follws.
AS was announced the Railroad and
Warehouse Commissioners were here
I to confer with the melon growers and
shippers OF Southeast Missouri. Quite
Ia number Of the growers We're pres
ent as well as several officials OF the
Iron Mountain Railroad company,
company, among whom We're Assist
liant General Manager Mcpherson,
Traffic Manager Lane and Major j..
MI Seibert.
Mr. Mcpherson, in his statement
when the meeting was called to order
| by Chairman Knott, claimed that the
company had lost $4,000 IN handling
the melon crop Of last year, and gave
lthal as ieasn their object for circu.
Hating letter diseohraging the grow
ing Of melons. Melon growing in South
east Missouri has become a great in
dustry. and has grown each year, and
1.-THE different railroads have encourag
led II By giving the shippers Of this
Ipr0dnct splendid service, but the cir
|culation of that letter this spring after
many acres Of melons had been plant
ed, in which ii was stated that the
railroad company could not handle
this product at the same rate as here
tofCre. has placed the shippers at a
great disadvantage and at the mercy
|of the railroad company. This letter
hat was the cause of Hon. II. P. Deal,
county's representative in
the legislature, introducing House Bill
No 70, that provides for a penalty
and damages to be paid by the rail
road companies II they fail to pro
vide cars for shippers in q reasonable
length of time.
The rate per hundred for melons Is
II $40 cents, an average Of about SIS
per car from this point to st. Louis
An adjournment was taken for din
ner after a compromise had been sug
gested by Assistant General Manager
Mcpherson, Of the Iron Mountain, that
s5 paf oar fo sf' spot iihei aNii smipeeh
charges.
Before meeting again after dinner
1t was also suggested that the repre-
sentatiyes Of the Railroad company
and the shippers confer and If possible
agree on a rate, but at the meeting
after dinner 1T was learned that thea
failed 10 do this. and the commiss
toner's through their chairman, saia |
they could do nothing but enforce the /
law In regard to the rates and penal |
ties as provided SO far as ii was pcs |
sible for them to do SO. and then with
Draw from the meeting.
After the commissioners had with
lrawn Il was suggested by Mr. Me
pherson that committee be appoint
ID by the melon growers to go TO St
-onis and confer with the railroad
fficials and arrange rates that would
le satisfactory.
II was estimated that it would take
fifteen hundred cars to handle the
melon crop of Southeast Missouri
Within a space of thirty days. /,
Heretofore the railroad company !
laims. it was necessary to inaugurate ,
special service to handle this pro,
uct properly. and he shippers all ex. :
ressed themselves as being well sat. !
SIZED with the previoCs service of the {
ompany.
The railroad company could comply |
nth the new law and still place the \
hippers in an embarrassing position. a
1t is hoped that some satisfactory I
can be made. Assistant v
enearal Manager Mcpherson said {
lai 1t was not the. intention of the a
1mpany to antagonize the melon a
owing industry in this section ana
q Ire company wanted to give the
roNers and shippers good service, s
at the C. ST of labor and material had e
lyanced to such an extent, that at s
to present rate fixed by the legisla- N
re. it could not be done without q 81
SIS. r