The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1918-09-19
Freight On
Castor Beans
Government VIII Pay 1t on Probable
Weight Of Actual Beans in Car.
load, Contractors to Pay Oh
Promotion of Hulls

iVuus W dy Uh
Proportion Of Hulls
Tallahassee, Sept. 19-If the grow.
ers Of castor beans are to come out
even this year, or to make a profit,
they will probably feel encouraged
to plant greater acreage to castor
beans another season, If there is
market for them. With view to
securing information from headquar-
tiers that might be Of benefit to castor
bean growers Of North Florida, the
North Florida Chamber of Commerce
addressed letter to the director Of
aircraft production. in Washington,
regarding what portion Of the freight
charges are paid by the government
when shipments are made by the
growers to hulling plants. The reply
which is quoted will be of direct pc
cuniary interest to all growers of the
castor bean:
"Your letter of August 20, inquir-
ing about the arrangements which
the government has made to pay a
portion Of the freight charges on car
load lots of unhulled castor beans,
has been received.
Under the original contracts with
the general contractors, hulled castor
beans were to be delivered in car
load lots to the government, f. O. b.
point of shipment. During the spring
and summer, however the question of
proper hulling machine caused a
great deal of trouble. Adequate ma
chimes were finally developed, but they
proved to be so expensive, costing
from $135 to $3.50, that it was fell.
that the average farmer would not
care to buy them. Furthermore, the
season was then so far advanced that
it appeared to be out of the question
to get large number of them finished
and in operation in time for the har-
vest.
Under these circumstances the
government has made supplemental
contracts with a number of the GER
eral contractors, authorizing them to
operate one or more centra! build
ing plants in their territory, and to
ship the beans to these plants in the
hulls. AS the government was obli-
gated under the original contract to
pay the freight on hulled beans from
any point where carload was de
| livered, 1t was agreed in the supple
mental contract to pay such a pro-
portion of the freight on a carload OF
unhulled beans as represents hulled
beans in the shipment. The balance
of the freight, representing the charg.
es on the bulls, is to be paid by ths
contractors. 1t has also been agreed
to accept sixty per cent and forty pei
cent, respectively, as the relative
weights fthe beans and the bulls II
a given quantity Of unhulled beans
This figure, however, is subject to re.
adjustment at the end of the season
If 1t proves to be Incorrect"
At present hulling plants have beer
established at Jacksonville and Yves
Palm Beach. II the industry prove:
profitable other plants will be estab
lished at one or more points in Nortl
Florida, possibly Tallahassee or Pen
sacola. The North Florida Chamber
of Commerce has secured permission
from B. l.. Hammer, of the Seaboart
Air Line railway development de
partment, who has the contracts II
Seaboard territory, to collect som,
castor bean spikes to exhibit at tn,
State fair, Nov q to Dec. g. inclu
sive. Man ycounties are endeavor
ing to prepare as varied an exhibi
as possible, to show the delegate
who will attend the Farmers Nation
al Congress, what North Florida 1
producing