The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-04-09
FRUIT GROWERS BEGINNING TOUSE
 THE PANAMA CANAL
California Shippers Find Water Route to Eastern States Is Cheaper Than the Railroad
 Freight Rates
By HOLLAND

New York, April s.--(Special) )-when California sent steamer to New York whose cargo was some of the fruits of. that state by way of the Panama canaIi it was in that way demonstrating a de-, parture from methods hitherto prevailing and this demonstration of itself goes far toward proving the accuracy of reports . which have been within a few days Z brought to New York by some of sthose who have been sojourning three orr four months in California The steamer was laden chiefly with oranges and lemons Until within few weeks these fruits would have been brought to New York and to other eastern centers by rail. sThe fruit growers associations and other or ganizations some years ago made traffic agreements with the railroads. There followed wide distrfbution throughout the country, and especially in the east,s of the products of thes California erch-s ards.
 Recently, because of the increase In rates which the interstate commerce. commission permitted, the attention of the California fruit growers was turned to the feasibility of and economic ibene-s fits in the transportation of their pros ducts all the way by water to thes east-s ern ports. An experimental test wass made a few weeks ago, and it was sat-. isfactory. Thereupon the Californialfruita growers sent another large consignment of fruit to New York by way of thes Panama canal The fruit arrived in New; York a day or two ago in good condftionA and was marketed by the auctioneers fo+ the wholesalers. If reports are corrects the expense entailed by the water ship-s nient was about 50 per cent less than tnef charges which would have been made! had the fruit been shipped by rail. How far the consumers will be benefited by this decreased cost remains to be dis-d covered after it is known what chargess the retailers place upon this fruit
 When Daniet Webster as Secretary orr State made an informal suggestion to' Great Britain through the special repre- sentative of that nation who was sent to the United States to negotiate boun- dalv treaties both for Oregon and for Maine. he rr opposed that # G-eat Brit ain would persuade Mexico to ceee san Francisco and it's adjacent harbar to the United States. then- in return for that aid thls country would yield to Great Britain, so far as the oregon ana , Maine boundaries were conoernea, Wen- ster and the administration had solely in view Pacific ocean commerce. Mex ico did not consent to any cession, but later sold the Californias to the United States for $15. .Oo0.ooo
 CALIFORNIA AND THE PACIFIC
 It was the hope of tho administration and of the public that the United states would be able to gain an important Sort upon the Pacific, for already the mag n;t,,de of the commerce over the Pacific was forecast When Californis became a uart of the Union Pacific commerce began d development which has cnntIn- .8sued to this day, and thereby Caiifornia has prospered. Ships laden at San Francisco with wheat carried their car goes to Great Britain and Europe, by 1vav of the Straits of Magellan. There was. of course, commerce between the eastern states and California by way or inc Straits of Magellan, but it consisted chiefly of supplies which were sent to the California gold miners and to the merchants, but there was nitle return cargo.
 Not until after the Panama canal was b1ilt was there realization of the com ynercial advantage in utilizing all water way Transportation between California and the eastern ports However, not much use of this was made at mst- There were cargoes of sugar Whicn passed through the Panama canal, Due much or the greater Pdlt VI ny ~-
 rort-tion between California and the east was by rail
 Now it is probable that constantly increasing commerce between the Altar lie coast and Cs lifornia will be carried on by way of the Panama canal. It IS true that this may cause a serious IaILns off in the traffic offered to the rau- roads On the other hand, it will make clear the accuracy of the views re- cently taken that in enlarged waterway navfgation the United States will find beneficial commercial results
 THE COPPER PEOPLE a .s Some part of the copper industry IS Atutilfzing the Panama canal. For 1t was { discovered that the copper output or the northwest could be shipped by rail for a conparativefy short distance to Seattle, thence the copper could be trans ported to the Atlantic coast at a mucn lower cost than the rail charges. one oe the copper men said this morning that copucr could be and had been shipped from Seattle to eastern ports by way or the Panama canal at most of $5 per ton, whereas the rail charges were as much as $22 per ton.
 fsaltfornia at the time of the Cfvfl war was the only one of the northern states which was not compelled to bear heavy burden entailed by the cost Of that war. The state was prosperous then, so pros porous that it was not compeheo 10 sus- nend specie payments. So also today California is reported by those who have recently visited that state to be prosper ous, not feeling the depression to any extent which has characterised other parts of the country. The fruit growers are satisfied with their condition IL is reported that those who cultivated grapes which they formerly converted into wine have discovered that the pront is greater and the certainty of returns so good if the grapes be converted into raisins, that much the greater part or the California grown grapes is turned into raisins and the reports are that the aggregate net profit upon the raisins \ marketed last year was sWs0oo.0oo So also it is expected that by utilization of the \ Panama canal hereafter the prohts of the fruit growers will be steady, sure and entirely satisfactory. Of course some of the fruit will be transported by rail, principally to the communities which lie between the Mississippi river and Cali fornia, although 1t is not unlikely that hereafter some part of these California products will be brought by way of the Panama canal to New Orleans, there to be reshipped upon vessels that navigate the Mississippi, and then distributed to many parts of the interior