The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1919-08-29
FARMERS ORDERS TOTAL 200
CARS WITH TWO PRO-
vIDED TO MOVE CROP

While the railroad administration
through the efforts of Max Thelan is
busy assuring the Idaho Public Utili-
ties department that Canyon county
potato growers will be provided with
IS refrigerator cars each day, in ad
dtion to IS others for fruit from this
section of the~Payette district, deliver
les for potato growers reached a new
low level Thursday when two cads
for potatoes and two for fruit were
placed at the disposal of the Caldwell
Traction company.
Orders from the potato growers
Thursday brought the total which are
urgently needed to approximately 20O
cars Following an agreement reached
early in the week between Caldwell
Traction company officials, potato
growers and potato buyers and the
officials for the state public utilities
commission, only growers will be per-
mitted to order cars in the future for
the transportation of the crop. This
decision was reached, it is understood,
because of the abuse of the car situa-
ton made by growers when dealers
last week were obtaining a sufficient
number of cars for ordinary need and
many of them were permitted to re-
main untitled and idle on the tracks in
Ne potato districts for several days.
No Promise for More.
Just when the cars will be de-
lvered according to the orders of the
railroad administration is problemati-
cal. Traction officials are daily ex-
pecting some additional information
which would substantiate the advices
received through the Public Utilities
commission at Boise. Until a late
hour Thursday, however, this informa-
ton had not been received.
! Early in the week some apprehen-
sion was felt because few growers
who had ordered cars through deal
ers, when the matter was left to their
own initiative, promptly cancelled
their orders. This action resulted in
some confusion but the number of
such cancellations was never great
enough to bring the demand for cars
at any time to within reasonable dis
lance of that supply. During the latter
part of the week orders for cars have
been coming in rapidly, with the re-
suit that the supply is wholly made
quate to provide for the demand.
Should Be Coming.
That the effort made by Caldwell
business men to obtain cars will re-
suit in material future benefit for this
section is evidenced by the revised
opinion now held by the railroad ad-
mlmstration regarding the necessity OF
providing cars for potato growers of
this section. Max Thelan, chief of the
-Sar bureau service of the railroad ad-
mlnlstration, learned that the Canyon
county farmers were insistant in their
contention that potatoes were "a
peerishable product and thus properly
given the same traffic consideration as
are fruits. Probably the result of the
conference in Boise will effect per-
',fnanent revision in the attitude the
ralroad administration has held re-
garding potatoes, is the opinion Of
local men who have followed the sit
uation during the summer. 1t is ex-
, pected that when cars begin to arrive
mat they will be delivered here regu-
iarlys in amounts sufficient to handle
the crop.
Largest deliveries during the week
were on Monda" and Tuesday. Mon
day l8 refrigerators were placed at
| .ne service of the Caldwell Traction
company and Tuesday 20 were re
'eeived, Wednesday this number fell
70 seven. and Thursday on'" four were