The Connecticut labor news., 1921-08-05
FRUIT BUYER SAYS
 HIGH RATES WILL
 DESTROY INDUSTRY
Gives Startling Examples of How the Growers Are Being Bled
 White

Charges that the railroads are spreading the story that COmmlsSlOn men and brokers are responsible tor high prices in an attempt to deCelVe the public and get away with high freight rates were made by Charles J. brand of Pittsburgh, vice president and general manager Ot the American Fruit and Vegetable Association, i'll testimony given before the Jolnt commission of the Senate and House which is conducting an inquiry into what is wrong with agricultural con ditions. Mr. Brand until two years ago was chief of the Federal market ing bureau.
 If the present rates are maintain ed by the railroads for another year the agriculture, stock-groWing and fruit-raisig industries of this nation will be absolutely ruined. The freight charges of the association l represent have been increased from $2,5oo,ooo 10 S4OOO,OOO a year on the same amount of business by the last sched- ule of rates fixed by the Interstate Commerce Commission"
 "Hundreds of millions of dollars of investment are threatened by prevail ing rates," said Mr. Brand. Tt seems hard to make the railroads realize it., but they are cruclfying their own in dustry along with our other basic in dustries.'
 Mr. Brand gave some startling il- lustrations of how the farmer IS be- ing bled white at one end Of the rail road line and the consumer robbed at the other. Here are a few sam pleS:
 $217 Car for 32 Miles.
 A I4-ton carload of caulifioWer from Florin, Cal, to Pittsburgh, net ted the grower $I28.02 after the rail roads had been paid $5oS,oI for haul ing.
 For hauling a carload of peaches from Leesburgh, Va, a distance ot only 32 miles, the railroad charged SPY, which was 50 per cent. of the total received by the grower.
 Several carloads of early cabbage shipped from Texas to Chicago re- suited in a loss of $73 per car to the grower after the railroads had col lected $4I4.2o per car for freight, an increased rate of SIPS per car since August, IQ&O.
 Retailers are charging consumers unwarranted prices, and if continued it may be necessary for the states to inaugurate a licensing system that would regulate the number ot retail CTS and sales prices, was the opinion of the witness.
 Says Credit Is Prime Need.
 Carl Vrooman, former assistant secretary of agriculture, told the com mission that foreign market to take the surplus produce of the American farmer was essential to relieve the situation.
 "Foreign countries want all the produce we have, but can not buy for lack of credit" said Mr. Vrooman. The United States government is the only agency which can establish the necessary credit"
 q do not think the trouble in this country is back of wealth." MT. Nroo- man told the commission. I've are rocking with wealth ;on every hand we stumble over 1t. This country has more wealth than any nation has ever had in the world. We have a plethora of wealth; and yet we are going broke surrounded by wealth. If we could let some of this wealth go out we would be like a man whose blood is too rich and who had paraly- sis, and 1t would be a jolly good thing if we could thin our blood a little
 "\Nhat we need is a market Noth- ing will save us except market tor our surplus products. If we could send Europe a billion dollars today we would be better off-a billion dol lars of agricultural products. That would strengthen us and the money when recieved in return would be like SO much velvet"