The St. Lucie County tribune. (Fort Pierce, St. Lucie County, Fla.) 1905-1920, 1910-01-21

especially rovided for by the State t,
settle differences as between shipper.
and carrier, The Florida Railroad
commission was consulted. On the ad
wee of this body the growers HON,
transportation company was first ap
pealed to for a reduction of rates; re
ductlon so insignifcantly moderate that
IL elected from the railroad conferet
the, interrogation. "Will this give vol
| rellet!' 1t is also matter of RECORD
that the growers were refused with
out courtesy and concessions whatever
IRON the only transportation compan,
they felt they had right to expec,
justice.
when friendly arbtrament failed
the courts were properly appealed to.
"A hearing was asked and given in Jack
sonvllle in December last, before the
National Railroad Commission The
case was presented by both sides by
witnesses competent to testify. The
attorneys, respectively for the shipper
and the carrier, are today making their
arguments in Washington before the
Interstate Commerce Commission.
"As he has faith in the final admin
lstratlon of justice, the grower expects
some relief as an outcome of this
action. He is not, however, so stupid
as to expect a court, restrained as it.
self claims to be by laws inimical to the
shipper, to give all the relief fairness
demands. 1t is for this reason the
growers of the east coast of Florida,
from New Smyrna to Miami have taken
so lively an interest in the Cook Steam
ship Line, placed in operation some
three months ago. A prejudicial law
says to the railroad carrier, in effect.
you may charge as much as the bust
ness will stand except when there is
water competition. The writer ia firm
~ of the opinion that freight lates will
be reduced as a result of the effort made
before the commission.
THE writer is just as firmly of the
opinion that the one thousand growers
making this effort will have lost an op.
portunity to place themselves on
transportation parity with competitors
unless this effort to afford relief
by water transportation is given every
encouragement.
'The above growers have voluntarily
subscribed to fund which, in the ag-
gregate will amount to five thousand
dollars to be used in pre- senting their
case before the proper courts believing
their expenditures is wisely made if
only cent per package is secured in
freight reduction. The same people
will not hesitate when their interests
can be so plainly advanced by promot-
ing project which the exgencles of
the case require and the law demands
to secure relief. Three months ago
the above steamship company was
locally promoted with capitalization of
1925, 900 and the manifest inadeguancy
of the present service to perform the
business being offered, and there is not
a fruit and vegetable grower from Mi
ami to New Smyrna who is not in
terested in the final result of the effort
of the merchants and planters to Sc
cure reasonable freight rates.
1T is believed that every member of
the East Coast Fruit and Vegetable
Growers Association will take an in
terest in this water transportation line
as being the best and quickest method
Of getting recognition heretofore with
held. Florida, beyond any other state
in our Union has been provided. for
naturally in respect to waterways
both coastwse and inland. FlOrida's
probably, have prOfited less
than they might have, if more strenu-
JUS efforts had been made in the proper
quarters. The citizens of this State
through good natured or ignorant leg
slators have been very liberal in con-
LESSONS to prospective transportation
whether by land or water.
These same citizens, therefore, cannot
Dc blamed for feeling under no obi
cations to any public carrier when the
alters self-named freight bills are
,aid."