The San Francisco call., 1910-10-24
Tour of San Francisco Mer=
chants in Southern San Joa=
quin Brings Results
People of the Valley Show Love
for Metropolis and Are Anx-
iOus to Promote Trade
By PAUL sINSHEIMER


departed. They went TO extend the
cit1-s commerce and they extended il.
They went TO tighten the cords that
bind the interior TO the seaport, and
they tightened them. They went to find
out why san Francisco had lost the
trade Of the lower valley. and they
found out. 1t hadn't
They travelled through a region that
knows the olive. the fig, the orange,
the growing cotton and the ripening
date on terms OF equal intimacy with
the cabbage and the onion. And in
all their meanderings were they north
OF the Tehachapi.
The excursion was in no sense
commercial JOY ride. II was business
from dawn TO dark II was the plan
Of Mr. Robbins and Mr.. King Of the
Merchants association to bring the
heads Of the San Francisco jobbing
houses into new relationship with their
clients. The personnel Of the party
was selected with this well in mind
ENREDITTON OF DISCOVERY
7 heard one man admit as he stepped
from the train that he had not been
down the valley for p years. He felt
that he had been on an expedition of
discovery.
The communities Of the section vary
as do individuals. but they are alike
1n their attachment to san Francisco
as the mother city. 1t is something
that is planted deep down.
We are for san Francisco" Mr..
Minot Of Nisalia told US simply and
tfuthfuliys we of the valley love your
CITY as 90 YOU yourselves
There are bonds formed more than
h2lf q century ago and they have en-
dured and strengthened. Firms in the
Ssn joaquin were trading with San
Francisco as far back as the early
fifties.
This naturally. is reflected today
Three -feurths OF the trade Of the val
les finds lis natural channel 10 San
Francisco. At Bakersfield only was
1ifere Observed any substantial deflec-
ZION 10 the south. In special lines,
notably OH well supplies, the movement
is also ia the other direction.
The trip has been acclaimed by the
1eo who made il the most successful
Of its kind. It has even now more
than justified itself Slow and cum
bersome freight deliveries to the
smaller cities q course of constant
complaint are to be superseded by i'm
provement and regularity of schedule.
lt was only too apparent that the
% local wholesaler, even at his best, had
failed to take full heed Of the growth
ia population and riches in the valley.
Frequently one heard some such pro-
test as this You in san Francisco
can give us anything we want in
medium priced hats and shoes, but
when we want the real fancy article
we have. TO send east"
1t would appear that the demand for
the higher priced product would war
rant its man Hfsc cture here.
RIDDLE Es SOLVED
gbeaszNarren AIanley of the Mer-
chants association went through
Fresno. Kern. Kings and Tulare coun-
tios last May he stopped long enough
in each town TO list the stores of suf-
Ic:ent size TO interest the Wholes sa lers
among the places SO visited was Exc
ter. in tbo new Tulare orange belt
During the fore part Of the present
month. Nr King Of the Merchants as
sociation followed Mr- Manley's route
TO arrange for the commercial excur-
sion. When the two compared notes
q great difference was observed in the
notations on Exeter. Mr. Manley had
listed some 10 or l5 stores. Mr.. King
had nearer so. The discrepancy was
particularly puzzling to Mr. Manley.
as Mr. Kings memorandum contained
names which his canvass Of the town
had not revealed. 1t was not until
Fridays visit there that the riddle was
explained. Since Mr.. Manley's visit in
May Exeter had doubled its popula tion.
had doubled the number Of its business
houses.
1t is in anticipation of increduIity
that I gave the names of Mr.. Manley
and Mr.. King for purposes of verifiea-
ton
Exeter. and I cite it merely for ex-
ample, had been passed up by some
wholesalers as undersized. That is not
likely TO occur in the future.
] rather believe from what ] have
gathered that some of our mercantile
heads have been unable to see the
trees for the forest
SCOLDED FOR NEGLECT
Here and there was encountered
among the good people of the valley a
bit Of tendency to scold for past neg
Iect
san Francisco" one speaker told
Us. has not been awake 10 what we
are doing down here. Our friends to
the south come up here, buy our lands
and send us settlers. That's what we
want"
He was reminded that San Francisco
had been enga ged for four years in re-
placing $500 000. 600 Of property. that
$500 000. GOO was big sum of money.
hut now that things were tidied up at
home there would be plentiful supply
for valley land
When ali is said and done. though. l
am convinced that the solution of the
entire san Joaquin trade problem lies
eventually in the suggestion advanced
by William r. Wheeler. Mr.. Wheeler
proposed 10 the merchants of Fresno
that they make their city a port. This
he would have them accomplish by the
deepening Of the San Joaquin river and
the construction of n canal across the
alluvial plains to the city of Fresno.
This he admonished, was the sole
means by which they cofild share the
traffic advantages of the Panama canal.
No OBSTACLE TO PROJECT
am aware Of no obstacle that could
inperil such a project. 1t does not
present new or difficult engineering
questions 1t is almost homeopathic in
its simplicity.
Freighfs from the. valley to San
Francisco would fail to the levels of
the wat haul. Trolley lines from the
south would connect Bakersfield on
even grade The whole basin would
pour its produce through Fresno to the
sea at San Francisco and thence to
Europe or the Atlantic coast by way
OF the canal.
The saving in freight would go 10
grower and consumer The cut in
ira nsportation charges, with the COM
ntefi0n of faa canal would be so per