The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1919-10-16
CAR SHORTAGE
HITS VALLEY
ROLLING STOCK LACK CHIEF WORRY
Harvest Is Wen Under Way and Motor
Trucks are Rushing Fruit From
Packing to Sippipg Points

The car shortage continues the chief
worry of the 1919 apple harvest. Since
Saturday shippers have been unable to
secure Sufficient cars to load out their
orders. Advices from Washington and
the railway administration, however.
are to the effect that every effort will
be made to route westward sufficient
freezers to prevent q loss Of any fruit
here.
Win orders in for % cars, shippers
along the line Of the Mount Hood R.
R. Co. yesterday received but IA freez.
ers. While the Apple Growers Associ.
tion had received but two cars for load
ing 1t local storage plants. a trainload
uf empties was reported due to arrive
soon from The Dalles.
Gasoline motors have revolutionized
the methods Of transporting apples in
the valley. Of the 2,0OO. 900 boxes Of
commercially packed fruit that will be
harvested this season. it 10 likely that
not more than 100000 boxes will be
hauled from packing houses to shipping
stations by horse drawn vehicles.
Motor trucks are making short work
OF apple hauling.
It il rare that q grower owning large
acreage 10 found without motor truck.
Truck sales the past year are approach
ing close to the century mark. Scores
Of orchardists, buying new passenger
vehicles. have turned their old cars in
to serviceable trucks.
Ia single line at the receiving sta.
tions of the Apple Growers Association
last week l9 different makes Of trucks,
ranging from a huge Mack to Ford,
were counted. The total number of
different makes in the valley is proba-
bly, double that number.
Many out Of town workers have Jour-
neyed here with their families in
trucks. While the women and children
engage in apple picking the father will
assist with the days earnings by haul.
ing fruit from packing plant to city.
Motor truck transportation is not
only the most convenient and quickest
way Of moving the valleys apple crop.
but shippers state that it is the safest.
The trucks are equipped with good
syringe and no bruised fruit results
from the journey to town. In former
years shippers included in their harvest
Instructions specifications for springs
to be used under wagon racks. The
horse drawn wagon, however, 10 go lit,
tie uaed Ut present that the paragraph
Of instructions pertaining to the springs
has become obsolete and has been
dropped.
Motor trucks equipped with dump
beds are an aid in the marketing OF
Gull and canning apples. With boxes
short and difficult to obtain. the deliv.
cry Of the Gull stock in the loose state
helps with the box shortage. With
boxes and burlap selling at high price
the dump beds work an economy for
growers.
Lack Of cars to clear packed apples
from storage plants and receiving sta
tions is growing daily more serious in
Hood River. With all space full, il
was necessary for the Association to
discontinue receipts Of fruit at its
Odell warehouse Monday. Tuesday the
Association received but two cars al
city plants. Five cars were loaded
Monday and four Sunday. With more
than Is big motor trucks rushing fruit
in from valley packing houses and nc
cars to start il on the way east, it ID
only q question Of few days until the
big storage plants Of the city will have
to refuse further deliveries. The val
ley needs more than 26 cars daily fol
loading out apples.