The St. Lucie County tribune. (Fort Pierce, St. Lucie County, Fla.) 1905-1920, 1910-01-07
EX0RRlTANT
FLORIDA RATES
Some Facts Submitted to Com
missioner PrOuty by Growers
NATIONAL LEAGUE HELP
Petition Which Shows TOW Florida IS Dis
terminated Against b, Railroad 10
favor OF Texas and Alabama


One of the most telling points for
lover rates on fruit rHd vegetables
frnm Florida brought 90 the attention
of Commissioner ironlN ot the Ih'rf.
state Commerce Commission, AT the
herring in jacksonville, Eta, last week
was the petition of the National Lea
one of Commission Merchants. says
the Produce News. This was present
ed Ev !. C.. Chase sccretar. o. the
Tiorida Fruit x Vegetable shippers
Protective Association The petition,
with i,s exhibit, which consisted or
comparative rates ON various products
shaving the difference between what
Florida pHyS and what other nearer
sections nav TO the same markets,
made = valuable addition to the data
presented in support of the growers
coul,ntion, Oral arguments VIII he
made before the Commission ~ Wash
ington. January II, and additional
briefs will be- tied later. II seems to
be the desire Of Commissioner Ifuuty
70 hurry this decision So that the re-
suits mlght affect this season $ ship
ments.
The petition starts out with the as
seriOn that League members are prac-
ticallv of one mind m declaring that
present freight rates on Florida pro-
duets are excessive and discriminatory,
II is pointed out lhAt in view Of excess
siye TRANSPORTATION on these cOmm0dl-
ties TO Western markets, competition
- SI
box ON oranges from California to Mis-
souri river poiAtS, while the average
rate from Florida orange shipping
points is Sl.Ol per boz to st. Paul,
Mimi, 9S.6c to Kansas City, and SIC
to Milwaukee In regard to Florida
vegetables. particularly tomatoes and
cucumbers. potatoes and cabbage which
come in competition with similar COM
modities from Texas, an exhibit was
submitted showing the rates to Buffalo,
Cincinnati and Chicago on these pro-
duets. The average freight ON mint
mum carloads of tomatoes from Flor
ida to Buffalo is $l9l go, as compared
with $l53 from Texas producing points
which are approximately equally as
tant from these markets as IN Florida.
The freight from Mobile Is Sl2i on po-
tatoes. To Buffalo minimum carload
from Florida costs on AN average
S222 % us coupWed with SlS75O from
Texas and $l35 from Mobile. On cab
bage and other vegetables the proper
ton il about the same Rates from
Florida 10 Cincinnati show "a great adj
vantage to Alabama, Mississippi and
Texas producing points over Florida
Tioriia pays on an average Of Sl65
car for potatoes compared with SOB
from Mobile and so from Mississippi
points. The same proportion applies
on alt other vegetables to Chicago.
The average minimum carload of to-
matoes from Florida points is S2D.4o
compared with $lll from Texas, SlO4
from Mobil and the same amount from
Mississippi. 1t costs almost twice as
much to ship potatoes from Florida
to Chicago as il does from Texas, the
figures being $2O6 50. While the dis
lance from the furthermost Florida
points to Chicago is only twice that
from Mississippi, the freight is nearly
three times as great.
A canvass was made by the League
in its 29 branches and all were unan-
nous in agreeing that the rates are eX
cessive when compared with those from
other sections. In st. Louis there Is a
striking example of the disadvantage
at which Florida vegetables are placed
in comparison with Texas. The aver
age freight OF minimum car of cab
hage in crates on barrels from Florida
Is Sl7S.50, while from Texas the same
weight costs but $l0S. The Chicago
dealers referred specifically t. the
average carload freight ON watermeIons
from Florida of 50l to 80 cents per
hundred, declaring that the market
value rarely exceeds freight charges.
Attention was called to the routing
OF shipments saying that the Florida
roads reserved the right to route cars
as best suited their interests with APP
parently little consideration for the
shipper or the consignee. Such arbi-
trary routing deprives the shipper or
eonslgnee of the privilege of divertng
and reconsigning shipments prior to
arrival at first destination. On this
subject the petition says:
AS an example, we point out that
many Florida shipments are started
rolling consigned either to St Louis,
Cincinnati or Potomac Yards for recon-
slgnment beyond some of these points.
with the exception of Potomac Yards,
under the arbitrary routing rule re-
TERED TO, the shipper or consignee is
IN no position to know definitely via
what route or at what approximate
Time shipments will arrive and before
orders for reconsignment or diversion
can he placed. delivery ut the original
destination Is affected.