Arizona republican., 1911-05-14
RESOLUTION OF THANKS
 EXTENDED ID RAILROADS
RATES TO COLORADO MAKE THE PROSPECT OF PROFITABLE
 SEASON BRIGHTER.
Shipping Season.

The board of directors of the Salt
 River Valley Watermelon Growers
 associa ton is making final arrange
 mcnts to handle the seasons crop,
 and met yesterday al the Commercial
 hotel to discuss ways and means of
 putting he crop on the market. Re cent action of the santa Fe and the
 Southern Pacific railroads in acced-
 ing to the request of the association
 that freight rates on melons be low
 cred rom Arizona Jo Colorado pro
 duced a vote of thanks to the offl-
 cials for their courtesy, and the pros
 poets of profitable season are con
 sidered greatly increased by the op-
 portuuity the melon growers of the 'valiey now have to put their products
 on the Denver markets, where they
 will compete with the growers of
 Texas
 Judging from the number of car
 loads produced from the acreage
 planted in melons last year. il is the belief Of the directors that here will b. not less than l35 ears shipped this
 season. an estimate which does not include the crops of the ranches not signed up by the association. There are 40u acres in melons this year on th,. north side of the Salt river. 2ho of which are controlled by the aSsocl- ation. while on the south side Of the river. i'm the districts surrounding Mesa and Tempe, there are l25 acres all of which lands are reported to be in good condition and giving promise of an abundant crop. From the y" acres of last year 3S cars of melons
 were shipped. and there is every req son to believe that this years crop will be as abundant per acre as that of last year
 There are at present about fifty ac- five members in the Melon Growers all of whom have taken an active interest in securing a lower rat. from the railroads IL is directly due. to their efforts that the reduction was made. and this new rate. which k 70 cents per hundred instead of % rents. as formerly. will be of benefit to all the growers of the valley whether operating independently or not. as it is open to all who ship m carload lots The association spent a large amount of time and money m presenting the needs of the valley |" the railroad officials. and after the of thanks was passed yes terdav. they stated that we feel we will be able to do enough business to justify them in their concession.
 In reply to a request of the Farm CTS Exchange for the control of the local marketing of the melons grown hy the association, resolution was passed leaving the opportunity open for any body to bid for the melons and denying the request for an arrange ment which would secure the entire crop for any single concern. There k little doubt entertained that all the
 melons grown in the valley this year will find a good market. as the mar kets of Colorado are now as accessi= bIe as those of California, and there will be no difficulty in placing the products in the hands of the produce dealers. Although the Texas rate Of 60 cents per hundred is still l6 cents lower than that extended to the Salt River Valley growers, it k expected that the superior quality of the Ari- zona melons will bring price in the Colorado markets sufficiently higher ,han that paid for the Texas crop to overcome the discrepancy in freight rates Last years melons were highly spoken of by the dealers on the coast who handled them and there will be a ready market for all the melons | grown by the association.
 Action was considered on the ques | ton of salesman to be sent to Cali ! fornia to represent the association dur | ing the shipping season, but nothing | definite was decided. as the man on | whom the choice had fallen was un- | able to state the exact time at which | he will be able to leave. and the mat .er was laid over until the next i meeting. which will be called by | President Phil Woodring.
 office room has been rented at $5 | West Jefferson street, and C. R. l Brewster was elected general mana ger. He will have full charge and control of the handling of the crop, md when asked yesterday to. describe he conditions and plans of the asso- 'iation, replied:
 "Conditions were never better for profitable season, and l believe we will have an unusually successful ear. Shipments ought to commence not later than June IS, and from the present appearance of the fields We ought to have a very satisfactory TOD. We will ship to all points m i 'alifornia and Colorado, but | believe he greater part of our produce WiH ,e disposed of in the markets or Ari-