The Kennewick courier-reporter. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1914-1938, 1917-05-10
RAILROAD MEN
PESSIMISTIC
OVER OUTLOOK
TRANSFORMATION Officials Say 1t
May be Impossible to Mar
ket Fruit Crop
CARS FOR NECESSITIES ONLY
Grower Must Know Now or He Cannot
Finance His Harvesting
Operations

Never before has springtime brought
with it so much uncertainty for the
fruiterower. His troubles aren't many
but they are real. It isn't the frost
that is bothering him; it isn't the
blight; it isn't the bugs. In fact he
is going to have crop and he knows
it. It isn't the price either. With all
food prices soaring to unknown heights
he feels certain that fruit will be on
the upward climb, for sympathetic
reasons, if for no other. But it's the
railroads, or rather the lack of cars
and engines on the railroads.
With all the railroads Of the coun-
try running on war schedules, with
every system taxed to it's capacity
carrying war munitions, war materials
and war men; with orders to rush food
necessities to those points where the
need is greatest, the fruitgrower does
not know what is going to happen to
his fruit crop. In fact nobody seems
to know. The railroad officials freely
admit they do not know, neither will
they even guess what is going to
happen.
The situation as the railroads see it
is set forth in the following circular
letter issued the first of the week by
q. A. Glen, general agent for the
Northern Pacific at North Yakima:
Il am directed to advise all shippers
that, on account Of the war and other
conditions, it may be impossible at
harvest time, to furnish equipment
enough to take care of movement of
perishable commodities, also it may
be that the national committee on
transportation at Washington, under
whose direction the railways Of the
country are now operating, may direct
the preference movement of commod-
tiles needed for food and other pur-
poses, so that apple sand other fruits
which may be classed as luxuries, will
not move to as great an extent as ex-
pected or warranted by the crop con-
dltions, and that, under the circum-
ces, it would be well to provide frost
proof storage in order to take care Of
their crops this fall.
i am also advised there is no tell
ing what the situation, as to movement
OF perishable commodities, other than
food, will be this fall and winter, and
tnat growers and shippers of such
commodities would do we'll to consider
the situation, realize the Importance
OF it and prepare themselves accord
ingly."
A similar letter issued this week
Irom division headquarters in Pasco
Is even more pessimistic in tone. It
says that at this time no promise can
oe given that any pat Of the crop will
oe carried to market and admonishes
tne fruitgrowers not only to provide
storage for their apples but to plan to
can and dry as much of the soft fruit
crop as possible.
Aitho the situation is anything but
favorable for the apple grower, he can
" building storage carry his crop thru
tne harvest rush. But no such alter
native is offered the grower of april
.o1s' peaches, pears and other soft
fruits. When his crop is ready for
market it must move or it is lost.
IL IS true that peach harvest is yet
several months away, but the crisis
IS mere now. Right now is when the
grower must have some reasonable
assurance that his crop can be mar
keted. 1t is now that he must arrange
,or financing his harvest operations.
ne can't wait until peaches are ripe
70 70 ouy his boxes, his paper, his nails,
is spray and engage his help to thin
-ie trees as soon as the fruit is set.
-fooably ninety percent of the farm
CTS depend upon the banks, either di-
receiy or through an association, to
naance them until the crop is market
u Under present conditions the
.anks are clear at sea. They are will
ing TO take a reasonable chance on the
nser1alnties Of marketing perish
sue product, but they are not willing