The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1918-03-07
FRANK CLARK At
WORK FOR FLORIDA
Trying to Make the Director General
See 1t is to the Common Interest
to Break the Blockade
on Truck
(Will P. Kennedy

Washington, March 5.-Continuing
the efforts he has been making for the
last two weeks at the Office of the U.
S. food administration and the head
quarters of the director general of
railroads to get relief for the grow
ers and shippers of perishable food
products from Florida, Congressman
Frank Clark has presented to the ad
ministration authorities several force
full letters and kilograms from his
constituents who are losing heavily.
One of these was from j. w. Cham
berlain, grower of fancy vegetables,
specializing in beans, peas and irri-
gated lettuce and cucumbers, whom
Congressman Clark recommended to
the federal authorities as one of the
most substantial truck farmers in his
section of Florida.
Mr.. Clark pointed out that while
the truck growers of the state are
eager to patriotically do all they can
to help feed the world in the present
crisis, now that they cannot either
get cars to transport their produce
Or must see it rotting while en- route
to market, they are not at all inclined
to feel any great enthusiasm about
replanting other bumper crops for
next seasons consumption.
The letter from Mr.. Chamberlain,
filed by Congressman Clark with
Food Administrators Hoover and with
Director General of Railroads Nc,
Adoo is in part as follows:
"We the growers and shippers of
perishables are up against it. The
following schedules should be to New
York to days, now it is 8 to 10,
and the goods are not delivered to
consignee upon arrival. For instance,
/ had one car of cabbage in Macon ar
rive there at 10:3O a. m. on the 18th
delivered to unload on the afternoon
of the 18th. This is an outrage.
eff we are to supply food, we must
have reasonable service. Why should
the railroad still solicit business if the
government has the railroad in hand!
can tell you it was wise vote that
defeated government ownership of
railroads. Why should they, the own
ers, be guaranteed a certain per cent
en- their money during the war? We
have nothing to do but work ourselves
to death for onthing, caused by in
competent management of the rail-
roads.
''There are plenty of cars to handle
all the business, why don't they unload
them? The United States has at her
command armies of soldiers, among
them many railroad men. If nothing
else can be done, these should be de-
tailed to remove the congestion of
freight. There are plenty of engines
to move business and competent en-
gineers.
"The state of Florida stands ready
to do her BIT and she has produced
something to eat of perishable char
acter. If Director General McAdoo
| is going to let cars of perishables
stand around after the yreach their
destinations before ordering them to
be unloaded, we are through. It's
useless for us to do more than raise
enough hog and hominy for our own
feed.
eve ask for consideration and fair
relief. We want to help. We follow
these perisable crops with staple
crops and hog crops. In order to aid
| in food conservation we must have
transportation service. We are not
unreasonable we know Labor is hard
to get and poor, what there is of it.
The best labor is in the army.
"Unless something is done imme-
diately Florida will lose millions of
dollars worth of food crops. Worse
still she will lose her patriotic feeling
to produce something to eat. Cabbage
cooked in cars is poor food and
lyery stenchable to try to eat"