The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1911-01-25
FUTURE IS UP
TO Rail- pI0ADS
]. N. Nichols Poi s Out How
Better Transports o Is Es-
sential to WiderS z rkets.
SERVICE rs THIRD OVER
THAN SHOULD BE- .OWEr
Business Interests Must Awaken
to the Conditions and Demand
More Rapid Handling Of the
Fruit Of the Valley.

There is meat for the fruitgrowers,
the shippers, intact for every business
man of North Yakima and the Yakima
valley in the letter of J. Nichols Of
London, England, published herewith.
Coming as he does into this section
from foreign country where trans
portation conditions are different and
better, and purchasing fruit by the
carload, and the trainload, for for
eign shipment, Mr.. Nichols has a per-
sonal and practical acquaintance with
the difficulties under which the bust
ness Is carried on here. His letter,
therefore, is the expression of man
who knows his subject and the good
which will come from redress of
grievances, if that language may be
used. He says:
Mr.. Nichols Letter.
Editor Herald-The meetings at
Prosser of the Washington Horticult-
ural association last week were very
gratifying as showing the very high
attachments of production, but the III
nancial success or otherwise of the
industry is bound up in the develop
ment of markets in the large towns
and cities and consuming centers and
these largely depend upon quick and
efficient transportation and care of the
fruit in transit at reasonable cost
The railway companies do not at
present appear to realize the require
ments that are necessary to develop
the distant markets in the east and
Europe and while they charge very
high freight rate they do not render
an efficient service. The average time
it has taken them this season to
transport a car of apples from North
Yakima to New York has not been
less than IA days. The distance Is
about three thousand miles and 1t is
about the same distance from New
York to Europe, which oHNi takes
seven days. Now surely trains can
travel much faster than ocean steam
ers, and instead of taking double the
time should do the journey in much
less time.
Condition Is Big Factor.
All the fruit is Of perishable ma
ture and cannot be put on the mar
ket in too fresh condition. In fact
condition is the most important fact
or in the business. Also. when
merchant buys fruit here, he wants
it on the market he is sending to as
quickly as he can get it in order that
his capital shall be returned to him in
the shortest possible time. And he
does and is willing to pay a high
freight for that service. But If the
railway companies take twice or
thrice Gas they do now) the time that
is necessary that, then, necessitates
twice or thrice the capital to conduct
the merchants business and must to
that extent affect the purchasing
price.
Whole Market Question.
Therefore, If this district is to de-
velop distant and foreign markets
transportation must be much improv-
ed, and the way to get this improve
ment is for the fruit industry, growers
and trades, to make their wants
known to the railway companies The
cattle industry have made their wants
known and have succeeded. They can
have a train of about 10 cars run
through to the east about as fast as
passenger trains and at less cost in
freight than is now charged for fruit.
But at present fruit is attached to
long trains of mixed merchandise.
lumber and minerals and makes the
disgraceful speed of nine miles per
hour.
Must Demand the Service.
Now If the fruit interests will de-
mand the service the railway COM
panies can transport their goods from
North Yakima to New York in four
days and when you get that service
the distant markets will develop much
faster and this will tend to maintain
prices at a higher level. Railway COM
III
Therefore they should be shown that
the present service is very inadequate
and much below what the public have
right to expect from them.
J. NICHOLS.