The St. Lucie County tribune. (Fort Pierce, St. Lucie County, Fla.) 1905-1920, 1910-01-21
GROWERS AID
COOKS LINE
Merchants Unite to Secure Wat
er Transportation
REDUCE FREIGHT RATE
Merchants and Planters transportation
Company Organized Public Invited
to Buy Stock ia Company

The Merchants and Planters Trans
portatiOn Company, which has been or
ganzed in Miami with an authorize,
capital of $3.50, 900 for the purpose o
operating line of steamers between
Miami and Jacksonville, is offering on
hundred thousand dollars worth of stool
for sale at $25 share.
The chief purpose in offering th
stock to all the people is to get as man,
intimately and directly interested a
possible.
There are two aims to be served b,
having large number of people con
cerned in the success of the steamer
line, Of which the first Isl
The greater the number holding shares
in the company the greater the number
of persons will be who have selfish
interest for it's success, and consequent.
" the greater will be the number wht
will employ their endeavors and inhu.
ences to increase the earnings of the
enterprise.
And the second: A strong effort will
probably be made by the Florida East
Coast Railway Company to purchase
X
thereby secure its control, if it should
fail by other means to put the steamer
line out of business.
7. Ii the stock is held by a large num-
Der of people it will be next to impos-
sibe for enough of the stock to be
brought up to enable any one to obtain
control of it.
The steamer line will be made strong
as the number of stockholders is in
creased.
The line is designed to be in fact as
we'll as in name the Merchants and
Planters line. 1t is to be their servant
rs we'll as their champion and defender.
1t is to serve them adequately and
well in making them independent of
the railroad in getting their products
to the markets and their commodities
from the markets.
1t is to be their cOmbatant in fight
ing the excessive railroad freight rates
and their refuge in sustaining lower
rates. Every person living in this Sec
ton will receive certain benefit from
the competition which the Merchants
and Planters Transportation line is 60.
ing to establish against the Florida
East Coast Railway. and every man
who is an alert citizen should assist the
good work. ....
This is movement which means
more to the welfare of the section than
many would imagine. 1t means the
determined and permanent reduction of
freight rates. Shares in the company
are being offered to every man at the
rate of S25 the share-Une fourth of
the amount to be paid in hand, the
three-fourths in thirty, sixty and ninety
days. o..
The sale of stock has been placed in
the hands OF Mr.. Harvey X. Payne, of
Miami, who will engage in an active
canvass in selling the shares.
Il. V. Moore, secretary of the East
Coast Frmt and Vegetable Growers
Association, writes as follows concern
' ing the transportation situation with
regard tU the business of growing pro-
duce for market:
when the tariff bill was before Con-
gress, within the past year, The pine.
apple growers of the East Coast of
Florida exerted their full strength in
the effort to be placed on parity, as
far las was consistent with Govern
mental legislation, with foreign COM
petitOrs. The failure of this effort is
matter of history and also offered sug-
gestiOns with the dissatisfied growers
were soon to take advantage of. In the
presentati h of their case before the
Finance 6Snmittee, of which Senator
AIdrich ut chairman, it developed in
The arg hit that besides the handicap
in regNooAi soil, climate and labor the
foreip. hpetitor had the greatest
'advats vuo u respect to transportation.
THE k:oso Committee was not slow in
sugd e XIV" That while soil, climate and
labY s"' ,IJOrs could not be corrected
|by1 " psllhey would, yet the trans.
'pd T8Rculty could be arranged
III TIl court had been establish
Purpose by the government
Y Happy growers were more
"A Icourteously referred to the
Wootommerce Commission be-
" celected exploit their grievances
n the SOIL month or two later. it
ana evet,d that the vegetable grow
nave Woncerted effort to correct
De fui'ybn injustices, the pineapple
Tor sou4e in full humOr to co
on requI
- ,.khe East Coast Fruit q
II IL Iirowers' Association was
Seed an organization now six
III ...lhth a voluntary member
9Ousend strong, to he in
sesss.ssatwice that number with
Aization has endeavored to
j. any other than radical or
hive lines. As arbitration |