Los Angeles herald., 1910-03-25
LEEDS A SPHINX
WHEN PROBEDON
SHIPPING PROFIT
/. C. c. Baffled by General
Manager of Santa Fe
Fruit Dispatch
WITHHOLDS ESTIMATE
California Growers Swell
Cry of Oppression by
the Railroads
MUCH amusement was created yes

WI terday afternoon when Inter
A'A state Commerce Commissioners
Charles a. Prouty and Franklin x.
Lane, sitting in the case of the South
ern California citrus fruit growers VS..
the Southern Pacific and Santa Fe
railroads and their connecting lines,
sought to ascertain from General
Manager s. L. Leeds of the Santa Fe
Fruit Dispatch-the concern which
operates most Of the refrigerator cars
transporting California fruits over the
Santa Fe eastward-just how much
profit he makes from the shipment Of
California citrus fruits.
Mr.. Leeds proved an unavailing wit
ness in that his memory failed him on
several important points, and he
doubted if his companys records
would provide the much desired in
formation concerning certain rates and
average in pre-iclng and transpor-
tation.
When asked directly, both by the
attorneys for the citrus fruit growers
and by Commissioner Prouty, what
his profits were in 1908. above the cost
of ice purchased from the Santa Fe
and other expenses, he stated that he
could not give an approximate
figure"
Mr.. Leeds refused even to venture
a guess as to the average, and insisted
that, while previous testimony indi-
Gated 1908 was a normal year in trans
portation, there might have been
washouts, wrecks or unavoidable de-
lays which would have reduced the
profit; but. although it was explained
to him that these cases would be is
olated, he refused to make state
ment
Asked to Return
Just before the hearing adjourned
for the day. however, Commissioner
Prouty requested him, if he could pos
sibly secure any information on the
subject, to return this morning, when
the hearing reconvened at 10 o'clock,
with sufficient data to venture an es-
| innate.
Both the morning and afternoon
sessions yesterday We're exceptionally
| interesting and brought out new and
! important points in the investigation.
AS on the opening day of the hearing,
nearly all of the testimony tended to
reveal further discriminatory tactics,
and confirmed the charges that the
railroads have by their recent raise in
rates throttled the principal industry
of California.
AS 80 per cent of the citrus fruit
output of California is represented at
the hearing the witnesses have been
mostly men high up in citrus indus
tries, but several of the smaller ship
pers yesterday were afforded an op-
portunity to state their opinions as
to the prevailing icing, preceding and
transportation rates.
Refrigeration and preceding were
covered in the larger portion of the
investigation yesterday. Commissioners
Prouty and Lane endeavored through
out the day to arrive at a conclusion
as to the effect on the smaller ship
M 1a 1AV, rA1 f,Hf fI,1
roads preceding and refrigeration
systems, as there is a small per cent
of the shippers outside the California
fruit exchange who cannot avail them
selves of the preceding plants which
belong to the exchange. 1t was sought
also to learn if it would justify all
shippers as divided into the various
groups large and small, to own their
own ice and preceding plants.
Not Dependent
The general trend of the testimony
of various witnesses indicated that
even small groups Of shippers, espe-
cially In certain localities, could well
afford to erect their own plants inde-
pendently of the railroad. It was
urged that in several towns the lee
could be sold also to general consum-
ers in such a quantity that it would
soon pay for the construction of the
plant, A number of experts testified
ice could be manufactured for 81 or
$225 a ton.
It costs $141.97 a year to maintain
one acre of oranges and place the
product in the picking houses, accord
ing to figures given to the commits
sion yesterday by II. B. Crane of the
National Orange company of River
side. He is one of the most successful
orange growers in the United States.
ta int tg ba
resented have over $1,50O,000 invested
in the citrus industry. OF the 1900
acres of groves which he controls there
are about $50 acres in bearing oranges
and about $50 acres in young lemons.
The entire future of this 25O-acre
lemon tract depends on the success of
the present hearing in restoring the
former rate of 81 on lemons.
Last year the Chase groves, he said,
yielded $50 boxes of oranges to the
acre, although the average yield of
Riverside county is estimated at 100
boxes per acre. The average for the
state is lis boxes.
Bare Costs High
This indicates that the cost of put
ting the oranges in the packing house
is about ninety-three cents a box, but
this figure does not include interest on
the investment. To this figure, also,
there has to be added thirty cents q
box for packing. The cost of orange
production is figured on the following
estimates per acre: Cultivation, $20.47;
irrigation, $35,65; picking and handling.
$21.35; pruning and fumigating, $3.50;
fertilizing, $3S.75; taxes, %25; superln-
tendence, $40.
TO arrive at the actual profits or
losses there must be added to these
figures the average loss over a period
Nf far, or twenty wears hX decay. wear
and tear Of machinery, deterioration of
soil. losses in "off" years; occasional
frost losses; cost of washing, wrapping
and packing fruit in boxes for ship
ment: deduction for cost of boxes;
cost of preceding; cost of initial icing
of car; cost of various kinds of cars
charges by car owners and railroads
for transportation and re-icing: COM
missions, ETC. after which all are paid
the sale price is dependent on changing
market conditions, degrees Of competi-
ton, etc, all of which tends to prove