Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1911-09-15
SECRETARY WHATELY
TO APPLE GROWERS
To the Editor
"Dispatch-News, Staunton, Va"

To the Editor
"Dispatch-News, Staunton, Va. -
Sir:
The subject of the Virginia stand
ard apple barrels being allowed to
be sold in other states where diff
ferent standard is used, especially
in New York, was discussed in your
columns few weeks ago. At that
time my statement that our standard
barrels are protected by the Inter
state Commerce Law wherever sold,
was questioned, ridiculed, and sar-
castically contradicted, by parties,
who were either uninformed, or else
interested in getting our growers to
use larger barrels than required by
our laws. In my opinion this was
nothing more than an attempt to
bluff our growers by soaring them
that they could not sell their apples
in New York unless they used the
larger New York standard barrel.
This discussion and the statements
issued in "Trade papers" published
in New York, and by the press in
some parts of this State, has brought
a large number Of personal letters of
inquiry on the subject. I have re-
Gently received a letter from one of
the most prominent of our Virginia
Congressman which I feel confirms
my contention without any further
doubt, that it is against the interest
of our apple growers to use larger
barrels than required by our State
laws. l give the following extracts
from the letter referred to:
House of Representatives U. S.
Washington, D. c.,
Sept. 1, 1911.
"My dear Mr.. Whately:
I have carefully considered the
correspondence you enclose for me
to read. In my opinion there can
be no doubt that packages in (from)
this State will be protected in inter-
state trade when the dimensions pre-
scribed are legal in this State. =
This is my opinion after a careful
examination of the Interstate Com
merce Law, certainly no
law of New York can prescribe what
shall be legal package in Virginia,
and I do not think it possible for the
New York authorities to interfere
with the sale of these packages when
they are shipped to New York. No
other construction of the law would
be reasonable"
will give the name of this Con-
gresham to any responsible person,
but Withhold it from publication in
order to save him from possible an
noyance from personal letters in this
connection such as I have received
in numbers.
l also note that the trade papers
are crawling down from their perch
VII IhO u &C VI UIuu, DIS L IGdU Ill
the New York Packer of August 26,
that Commissioner Walsh" has found
that he cannot prevent the sale of
'short barrels as he threatened, as
this would conflict with the general
agricultural law.
And this is followed by an opin-
ion from the Attorney General of the
State of New York to the same effect
as far as relates to the sale of ap-
pies, pears, and ounces, but not to
potatoes. AS I have stated before,
our standard barrel has a stave 271s
inch long and hold exactly bushels,
or 80 quarts, I personally think it
would be much better if we had a
uniform package law for all the
States passed by Congress, but until
that is done we are protected in u.s.
ing the standard measures, and di-
mensions laid down by the law of
this State.
Walter Whately, Sec.
Virginia State Horticultural Society.
CrOZet, Va, Sept. 6: 1911.