The Ontario Argus. (Ontario, Or.) 1???-1947, 1915-02-11
CANAL POSSIBILITIES LIMITED.

CANAL POSSIBILITIES LIMITED.
The North Pacific Fruit Distributors experiment in the of tn
Panama canal this has produced mighty mpoan
findings One is that only few OF the northwestern fruit district
the advantage and then only certain
restricted conditions and the other that steamship companies vii
have to reduce their make them really serious competitors
the railroads.
partial report OF the experiment follows:
The first big experiment in the OF the Panama canal for ship
North Pactc Fruit Distributors Two important S have been de
ened according President H. f. Davidson recently re-
turned from New York One that only three districts and part
fourth OF the ten principal fruit districts in the northwest sI
their apples to Atlantic coast ports that and make substantial
saving IN transportation charges The ocr that small shippers
are practically debarre owing to handling charges and certain
established trade conditions which upon arrival
Hood River and few nearby points Oregon and Yakima and
Neachee in Washington the only northwestern districts that
can make substantial saving Even then who has direct
personal interest in the cagoe be hand and
take care OF them at once The other northwestern districts
practically eliminated because of the expense getting ter apples
to the Pacific coast ports where they would be loaded
1T costs 90 cents hundred pounds about 80 per box
to send apples by steamship from Seattle Portland New York
we have aertaned That includes merely switching dockage and
unloading at Seattle Portland freight and refrigeration to and
gterage at New York and insurance To this be added
freight from the fruit district in question the Pacific ports
which varies from 23 cents per box the of Hood River
to as much as So l2 cents from sections Southern Idaho
making the total cost from 81 l-2 90 l-2 cents
These shipments OF course must be made under refrgera
ton passing they do through the intense heat of tod zone
On the other hand overland shipments which almost uniformly
made IN ventilated instead OF refrigerated so per
from all northwestern districts New York There are few weeks
during the early of the when railroad shipments are made
ucl ana the expense sending
der those circumstances from 50 cents per box
the cost from most of the districts being 6l At that time prac
cay all of the districts except Montana and the more dis
ah points southern Idaho could make substantial savings by
using the Panama canal.
However the steamship companies expect do any great
ou OF business IN transporting apples throughout the shipping
season ey VIII have to put their down lower than they are at
he present time to secure the support of the districts that cannot now
Use the water route advantage
The important consideration in this whole question f
anmno canal shipments upon the facilities which the shipper has
or handling them upon arrival The American hawaiian and the
anc and Pacific lines which were the first to carry app from
ne northwest and which the Distributors have used discharge their
agoeS IN Brooklyn at the Bush and the Atlantic terminals re-
pNe while the fruit markets of New York are cenered in Man
aa At the Erie and the New York Central docks Hundreds m
thousands o dollars have been lost in past efforts TO efect the
o' ava! from the Erie dock to other place but dealers have
c stores and warehouses clustered about and custom cs
nightly large figure ~ w
II would DE very easy matter for transfer and other handling
SeS TO more than eat up any saving made by ocean shpnent
the lut Is consigned or placed in the hands of someone who has
dt'l personal interest the of HANDLING clares co
er multitude OF SINS of both commission and omission
Inc DSrDutorS FIRST shipment by of the Panama canal
ea'ed quite sensation in New York Twenvhree carloads f
'PeS arrived on the steamship Ohioan of the American Hawaiian
nc aSt week Wilmer Seg the Distributors sales anogcr IN
CIV ioh met the boat and immediately arranged for handno m
so Inc che engineer of the line had accompanied il n Ta
'ule ana study the needs of such shipments Railroad ,
Ne" forE were naturally very much interested and tried 70 m
TIC uo'N o were not admitted by the steamship companv Th
i" o''ed Just 20 days and thorough examination ~ the
PeS IS down to the lower deck showed them TO be in ev
"no we nave estimated the saving transportation charo
theSe IS cars to be approximately $500" 's'' i