The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1911-04-06
LOOMS SAYS STORAGE
IN TRANSIT NEEDED

in transit privileges to the box-apple
industry, Edward N. Loomis, repre-
senting the conference committe of the
International Apple Shippers Associa-
tion, the National League of Commits
sion Merchants and the Western Fruit
Jobbers' Association, said recently.
"The apple season of 1910 and 1911
will always be remembered as remark.
able for the extremely high prices paid
for barreled fruit. which have been the
highest, and the extremely low prices
for box apples, which have been the
lowest in the history of the apple in
dustry. The demand at all times has
been dull and dragging on boxes, while
strong and active on barrels, and this
in spite of the fact that the quality of
the box apples has always been super
ior to that of barreled ones.
"What is the reason of this paradox?
Can it be possible that the more scien-
tifc and careful the growing and pack
ing Of apples become, the less they are
appreciated? Has the expert packing
of apples, which has reached its high
est development in the producing sec
tions of the Pacific slope, resulted now
in making the public prefer the rough
and-ready, slap-dash packing of bar
relied apples, especially when 1T is
known that the great majority OF the
latter contain, with the exception OF
those on the face or top of the barrel,
apples suitable for cooking? No, the
sensible reason that box apples have
not been wanted and ruled at low prices
lies in the method of distribution OF
the two classes.
"The barrels have been shipped to
every market in the country, large or
small There has been a strong de-
mand for them in England and Ger
many. Western New York fruit
houses have had steady demand and
drain on them from the west and the
south, and from the east and from the
lands across the sea. There was about
an equal quantity of apples packed in
barrels ard boxes the barrels are be-
ing consumed in thousand places, the
box crop practically was marketed in
two cities - Chicago and New York. OF
course, there were small amounts of
boxes shipped abroad, especially Cali
f0rnia NeWtowns and some few cities
like Philadelphia and Boston had a
small amount, but the markets of New
York and Chicago were at all times
over-supplied.
"The newspapers were filled with
flashing advertisements on the part of
a few dealers stating the hundreds of
thousands of boxes their firm would
have the distinction of handling. The
r,txy hat ha fttIa / 4 ~
was so unlimited on the part of every
large dealer in Chicago and New York
that every small dealer shut out the
temptation of investing in them.
This absolute lack of intelligent
distribution came about through the
rigid rules of the railroads regarding
freight rates on box apples. One
dollar per hundred is the rate on car
load of box apples whether shipped to
Denver, Chicago or New York, and
when stored at one point or the other,
it cannot be reshipped without paying
another freight rate. If storage in
transit privilege should be allowed on
shipments of box apples, there would
at once develop system of distribu-
tion which would scatter the crop of
box apples all over the country it
would place them in consumption
where they were most wanted. The
crop of box apples, amounting to
twenty million boxes, is transported in
a month and half, but it requires
nine months to consume it, even though
it should be scattered to every city,
large or small.
"By the storage in transit privilege
is meant the privilege to ship the car
to any warehouse that is desired, and
later on, when the owner desires to
market that car of apples, to ship it to
its ultimate destination and pay for the
total services the through rate from
the initial point of shipment to the ul-
innate destination and a switching
charge in addition because that is the
only extra service in addition to the
through haul that the railroad has ren.
dered in granting this privilege.
at is impossible for the owner of a
considerable amount of box apples,
whether he is a grower, or the associa-
ton of growers or a merchant who has
invested his money in their output to
tell what market during the coming
nine months after the crop is gathered
will be a desirable market for his ap-
Piles. He can tell less because it is a
new industry and only cities of the
larger size have developed the use OF
box apples.
with the very great increase in the
production of the far western orchards,
amounting last year to twenty million
boxes, it is essential for the prosperity
of the growers in the far west, or any
person who desires any part of that
industry, whether railroads or ware
house men or merchants, to do lot OF
missionary work in scattering the crop
and introducing it to the cities OF
smaller size and the European mar
kets. A lot of this work has been done
already, and the crop would flow to
cities of the second class we'll as the
first class, if the railroads would see to
it that flexible method of distribution
was permitted by granting the storage
in transit privilege.
1.-The greatest benefit would go to the
railroads between Chicago and New
York In that district half the wealth
of the country lies, and half the crop
VI hOh dDpltn HllOhlu bI btlCiS Alobllb-
uted With the exception of one rail
road, the Erie, the other trans-conti-
mental lines from Chicago to the east
hav next to nothing of this traffic. The
storage in transit privilege would give
to them a very large share of this
traffic. 1t is of the utmost Importance,
therefore, that all growers and grow
ers' associations and all apple dealers
should bring this information to the
attention of the head officials of rail
roads it will help them more than the
general industry.
"In addition to this, it is a matter of
Importance to all persons interested in
the apple industry, whether in barrels
or boxes, because if the box industry
is placed upon healthy and profitable
basis, the capital available for invest
ment in apples will flow toward that
part of the industry and leave the bar
relied apples open to a natural compe-