Gainesville daily sun. (Gainesville, Fla.) 190?-1938, 1907-07-18
JUSTICE IS DEMANDED.


cri,ni, Ar.on !. :r.ieh, rates against
FLORIDA shippers j, likely e. soon L.
decide. D. n. Interstate CoNin.rC.
Commission.
R.:.rrins 20 this discrimination
The Fruit Trade Journaj and Pro-
auc- Record Published in New YORK.
IA. n. following rom it- Washing
ION corr"spondens' IN lis '--ne 9; '"''
l3.h:
The Florida .rU:. growers have At
last succeeded in putting up 10 the
Interstate Commerce Commission in
a shape in which that body Will And
DIFFICULTY in lodging !, the trua!
question OF whether length Of haLl
has anv,hinS 70 DO with railroad rates
At casual glance. this would be a..
sumed 70 be the most weighty factor
IN fixing rates; but i isn't Conll"'i.
tive conditions and ,he problem OF
what the traffic will bear are really
determinatiye. Distance Is really an
unimportant factor.
But here comes the Florida F-lit
and Vegetable Shippers Pro'ec,i..
Association. pointing out that the rail.
roads charge ~ cents per one hun
dred pounds 10 haul oranges from
Florida to New York. l.2"3 miles.
while charging only $.l5 to haul the
same thing from Los Angeles. S.2sl
miles. to New York. The Florida p-o.
pie say IL is unreasonable and IN
Just. and demand a new adjustment,
The Florida people set forth in
their petition filed with the commits.
sion that. as TO some articles. they
actually pay considerably higher rates
for much shorter distances than do
the California raisers OF like products.
They insist that che business in
Florida 10 very large. Yet they ar
given no carload rates. which Cali!or.
mia enjoys. and there has been no
revision OF Florida rates since twenty
years ago when the industry was in.
significant.
This case raises squarely the ques-
ton OF distance As factor. II brings
out squarely the tremendous problem
In commercial geography that lies at
the bottom OF the whole railroad rate
question in this country.
The people OF Spokane. and OF
every other intesmountain community.
have raised much the same issue
pointing out that they are charged
more for the shorter haul than the
Pacific Coast cities are charged for
the logger haul. But the railroads
reply that they must meet the water
to the coast cities. and so
IRE forced TO make q low and not re-
0unerative rate 70 the Pacific Coast
essminals. They must earn their rea.
revenues On the business at the in.
terror points.
Nov. In the matter of the Florida
they cannot make this de-
fease. Florida has water facilities
Doe shipping to New York and the
0B3s, 0o0 ~ oos S0AtOfhL. ] uS
water route from Florida IL indeed
D practicable route. while from Cali
Dosnia. because too long. II 10 not.
There 10 little doubt among people
vho heard the Spokane case argued
Ehot the eoDmisstua - going to decide
against spekass and place the de-
gSs3on On the ground that the wa,e.
rules the rate Of the Paci.
y Coast terminals. In the Southern
eoGtoa mills cases. the commission
decided in favor OF the New England
mills getting . lower rate 70, longer
haul On the same ground; that the
New England mills are nearer the
point OF water shipment. and there
lore get q rate based on water com.
petition: and IL this rate Is lower
han the Southern railroads gill give
20 much the better for the New Eng
and cotton interest The commits.
Bion declines to interfere
1t viii be impossible TO JUSTIFY such
/ huge discrimination in the fyui.
rase by putting /, on water ccnpe,!.
lion. because the water competition
argument Is in :avo. Of the Florida
hui, growers and /, Is shown that.
despite this. they are Disseminated
against.
The Florida people show .ha, ,h-