Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1921-07-19
MANY CANNER|ES
OREMA|N CLOSED
This is Due to Unfavorable Con-
ditions and Unpromising
: Outlook.

The pack of carped goods on the
Eastern Shore of Maryland this year
will be about Is per cent. of last
years total, according to espmates
advanced yesterday by several lprom-
inent Gamers. Throughout Talbot,
Caroline and Dorchester counties,
which lie in the heart of the tomato
and corn section, farmers are not
growing and Gamers do not intend to
pack.
For the first time since their estab-
lishment canneries will remain closed
during July and August, when they
usually are in the height of their
season.
That is the information CLEANED
from talking TO several Gamers, and
they advance two reasons for this
condition. The first is that the Gov
ernment has had enormous quantities
of canned goods bought during the
war and which were thrown on the
market in wholesale quantities re-
Gently at a much lower figure than
IL is possible TO sell today.
The other reason is that the can
ner. having made no money for two
years, is in no position to offer the
farmer an attractive inducement to
grow either corn or tomatoes. These
two reasons have produced one of
the most acute industrial problems
that has, confronted the people of the
Eastern Shore for years.
Many negro laborers, accustomed
to working in the canneries. viii be
out of employment as will many white
people. Larger factories, which enl-
ployed from 500 to 1000 persons dur
ing the busy seasons, will cut tn ir
forces to 500 and then will be able
10 give only part-time employment.
Plants which depended on Bohemian
and Polish help from Baltimore will
be unable to finance the accommoda-
tion of those people and viii be forced
TO rely on home help. Home labor,
which for years has been practica lily
ostracized on account of the outside
labor. will be reluctant TO work in the
factories, several Eastern Shore cam
ners say.
\ large cannery in Cambridge.
which heretofore has been noted for
the immensity of its packs. will drop
from its usual 100000 cases of other
years. to about $4,000 this year, SO
the estimate runs. Other factories.
established in the backwoods, will not
be run at all, and several large ones
will not open.
The Preston Canning Co., at Pres
ton, will open, il was said by one Of
the officials yesterday, and Phillips
Brothers plant at Cambridge will run
but the Easton Packing Co, 2 long
esta blished Talbot county concern.
will be closed until its present pack
is disposed of.
Worse in Delaware.
In lower Delaware. the situation is
even more acute. and a canner from
this State said the pack will not be
10 per cent of last year. Normally a
productive section, much of the land
used for tomatoes and sweet corn
will be left open for pasture or plant
ed IN wheat
The situation for the past two years.
between the Gamer and the farmer
has been anything but pleasant. The
system of buying tomatoes on the
cpsn market has been resorted TO in
many cases by concerns with a large
capital to increase their total pack.
This was done when the canned pro
duct was fetching a big price from
Government contractors. and even
from the Government itself. Many
small packers, frozen out by their
larger competitors We're left in the
lurch when the farmer broke his
contract with them.
Tomatoes on contract brought on
an average of % cents a basket. while
selling them on the open market.