The Brownsville daily herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1897-1910, 1908-07-30
Market Problem
Was Discussed
CONTINUED from Page -

Speaking of the cost of handling
truck, Mr. Boeye said:
''Our taxes are two cents a crate,
or basket or hamper for handling tie
stuff The same applied also
to cabbage We handled it for two
cents per hundred. Now, that was
too cheap. If you go to a good ,on-
mission man of any consequence,
believe you will find that the average
price per car is about fifteen dollars
Sometimes you will get him for $f2
or possibly S10,, but for responsible
man, you will find that the price is
about SIS per car Now on a $4,000
car you can see what it costs. 1t costs
about 81 per car for scantling con-
struction. 1t costs about $3.50 per
car to load cucumbers and about 81
car to load cabbage, so you can
figure out the cost. Two cents is too
cheap. -. 1t would be much better
to make it five cents, and make a
provision in your charter that the
surplus, if any, be returned.
Another item well worth consid-
ering is that of employing man that
has had experience, regardless of cost.
I feel confident that could have done
better for the people represented, if
l had had the proper experience. -.
They insisted upon my doing the
work, while, if we had gone to work
and raised our taxes, we could have
secured the services of man of ex-
perience that could have done much
better for US. even with the condi-
tons as they were
Speaking of the meeting of the On
ion Growers Association, of which he
is a member, Mr. Boeye said that he
wanted them to decide what they
wanted him to do in their behalf.
T. W. Zelie of La Gloria suggested
that it would be a good idea to have
field inspection instead of at the car.
Elmer E. Dustin replied that he
thought a man who knew his business
could inspect in the car as well as in
the field. Mr. Dustin wanted the as
ISOLATION to order members to pack
crates as full as possible. He also
suggested that every mans name be
placed on his crate, so that all would
Know whose goods it was, and COM
mission merchant could specify the
next time that he wanted that ship
per's produce, if it proved good, or
the contrary if inferior He advocated
a good man at the track-no cheap
man as inspector, and also wanted a
few more watch dogs, so the commits
sion men cannot take advantage of
the grower
D. P. Gay of Olmito suggested that
the crates be weighed at the car,
marking the weight on the crate dis
tinctly. and thus the men who wanted
to pack light could do so, and those
who wanted to pack full could do so,
and the buyer know just how much
he was getting.
Mr.. Green remarked:
I'm the onion business this last
winter this thing was noticed: There
was at one time a great many onions
in the market an dthe manager at
San Antonio told me that in a few
weeks he had in 1887 car loads. At
one time the market became so glut-
ted that it was necessary to stop ship
ments and hold up until the market
recovered. He issued instructions to
the effect that everyone should stop
pulling and stop packing and loading
and the next day he got notice that
more onions had been rushed into
cars than 70 ra week before. There
was only one thing to do and that
was to let onions stand on the side
tracks and rot, otherwise the market |
would have been demoralized for the
entire year. The fellow that loaded |
hisonions under those conditions was
to blame and deserved what he got |
in strict justice. But here is another |
case. To keep the market steady and |
the price right it was sometimes nee
essary to leave carloads on a side /
track after the man had been in
to come ahead with his on
ons. They were held there until they
got in bad condition an dthe man got
only a few cents out of his car lot
This mans car. was held up in or
der that his neighbours car might
bring a good price, and still he lost
while his neighbor made a nice profit.
That is not just. 1t seems to me there
should be an attempt made to save all
cars that are shipped. OF course ear
ly cars would deserve a better price
than the later shipments, but there
should be some modification, it seems
to me. The pooling idea would be
1 benefit, because maybe one mans
onions were shipped to st. Louis
a,hora tho market is known TO he