The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1914-02-20
BOUQUETS FOR MARioN's BOARD
OF TRADE EFT AL
Reddick, Fla, Feb. 16, 1914.


I desire especially to call the atten-
ton of your readers to the latter part
of this letter
think it was in 1899 when an ef-
fort was made to secure lower rates
on fruits and vegetables for our ship
pers.
We failed to secure relief because
we were unprepared to make the
right kind of a showing, and were
completely disorganized, and we fall
ed to convince the commission that
the rates charged by the railroads
were unreasonable.
| | think it was in 1908 that the Flor
ida Fruit and Vegetable Shippers Pro
tective Association had a hearing be-
! fore the interstate commerce COM
mission in Jacksonville and Washing
ton.
This was a strong and we'll organ
lied body, made thorough and COM
plete show-up to the commission, and
! resulted in getting a reduction OF
from 10 to Il cents per vegetable
crate in carload lots to the shippers
in Marion county, thereby saving hun
dreds of thousands of dollars TO our
fruit and vegetable shippers.
/ To show this organization meant
business, they were paid in damage
fees alone $3,97705.
! In 1910 Hon. NJ. l.. Payne and my
self undertook to make complaint
against the Southern Express Com
pany's charges before the interstate
railroad commission, and the lawyer
wanted a $1,000 fee! We quit,
| l mentioned our troubles to Chair
man Burr of our state railroad COM
. mission, and upon his advice and help
filed bill of complaint against the
Southern Express Company. and our
state railroad commissioners, in their
name, brought the case before the
interstate commission, at not one
cent of cost to the shippers.
In 1911 they had hearing before
the commission in Jacksonville, and
the results of these efforts, as ac-
knowledged both by Mr.. Burr and the
express people in Ocala on the 18th,
is the reason why the Southern Elk
press Company, in all their territory,
are approximately carrying all vege-
tables weighing so pounds per crate,
at three-f1fths of the old rate charged
and packages weighing 40 pounds at
four-fifths of the old charges. and all
over 40 pounds at the old rate.
The Florida railroad commission
this work
i Never before have I been so i'm
pressed with the wondrous power that
lies in our wide-awake board OF
trade, for within five days after they
issued a call to meet in Ocala, Sena
tor Fletcher, Congressman Clark
L'Engle and Sparkman were at work
with the interstate railroad commits
sion in our behalf, and at the meet
ing many boards of trade of the state
were represented, as well as fruit and
vegetable growers associations, indi
vidual shippers and express repre-
sentatives.
i In all my experience as a worker
for lower rates, l never knew our
senators, nor congressman, nor boards
of trade to notice u.s. 1t was root
hig, or die" with them. but when oui
board of trade spoke, there was a
hearty and good response.
All praise to the Marion county
board of trade,
There is another matter that will
come up before our people in Ocala
on March End, which, to my way Of
thinking, is of much more Importance
than the lowering of express rates tt
our vegetable growers. That is the
meeting of our state railroad com
) mission with the people to compel the
, railroads of the state to comply with
the long and short haul law.
The lowering of freight and express
rates to fruit and vegetable growers
only affect those engaged in the bus
f mess, but the charges made by oul
, railroads on short hauls, compared
with long hauls, affect fully 100000 o
the people of this state In my judg
{ ment this is ten times as importar'
as any case that has ever come be
fore the public.
I truly believe that if the Marion
county board OF trade will put forth
the same energy and effort hich
they did recently in regard TO the ex
press rates. and invite all the iuterio,
boards of trade and all interested par
tioc k<, ", OcaIa -