Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1929-06-30
SAVES
ON new MIXED
CARSCHEDULE
Shipments to All u. S.
Take Carlot Rate of
Various Items With
Low Minimum

Smaller markets Of the United
States will be opened to Valley
fruits and vegetables. the mixed car
trade will be stimulated and a saw
ing of at least S250,000 annually in
freight rates will result from an
amended ruling applying to rates and
minimum weights on mixed ship
mentS agreed upon by represent
atives Of the railroads and Valley
shippers in conference with w. ".
Hardy. director of traffic of the
Interstate commerce commission.
Under this ruling mixed fruits
and vegetables can be shipped to all
parts of the United States, the
freight rate TO be figured on the
carlot rate for each commodity in
the car. and the minimum to be
10000 pounds per car. unless more
than IS per cent of the carload is
a commodity on which a 24.000-
pound minimum is required. In that
event the minimum will be $4,000
pounds.
The estimate Of the saving TO be
made is very conservative in the
opinion of j. F. Blanton. traffic
manager Of the Brownsville Cham
Der Of Commerce. who was instru-
mental in securing the ruling.
Under a similar ruling which be-
came effective March 5. 1929. and
which applied TO shipments in Tex
as only. several thousand dollars.
were saved to Valley growers and
shippers during the past season and
the mixed car deal received consid-
cradle additional support. This rul-
ing differed from the n now
agreed upon in that 1t applied the
20.000-pound minimum to all mixed
cars and brought about a saving
that averaged about $50 per car.
This ruling was TO have applied TO
Southwestern territory for the next
shipping season but carriers would
not agre to a similar ruling in all
rate territories.
The claim was made that appli-
cation Of the 20-0O0-pound min
imum 10 all territory would be too
liberal and cause too great a reduc-
ton in revenue of the carriers. es-
pecially on long hauls to- Eastern
and Western destinations.
The agreement to ship all q r at
a 20,000-pound minimum unless
they contained more than rs per
cent Of a commodity on which the
minimum was $4,000 pounds, was
reached at a conference In WASH
ington between Hardy and a num-
Der Of Valley shippers. representa-
tives Of Valley shippers, and Of the
railroads.
Those In the conference were
w. z. McDavitt. Brown White,
Price. representative Of Wade e.
Newton, Stahl Of Stahl and Leh-
man. Weslaco. and j. p. Blanton.
representing A. N. Tandy & Sons
and The "A. d. McMinn Co. OF Har-
lingen. There also we're a number
OF representatives OF carriers In the
conference. including w. j. Schill Of
the Missouri Pacific railroad.
Potatoes. cabbage and green corn
are the principal commodities that
take the $4,000 pound minimum.
Blanton explained. "and 1t was
agreed at the Washington confer
ence that the higher minimum
would not work so great a hardship
on the Valley as not to have the
rule in all territories.
approximately 5000 cars OF
mixed vegetables were shipped from
the Valley this year and such
shipments were uniformally prof
liable to the grower and shipper.
This new ruling OF the 7. G. C..
should increase the number of
mixed cars next year to 10000 and
open many markets to Valley prod
ucts which have been closed 10 IL
before because Of the high rates on
mixed cars and because the smaller
cities are unable TO use a solid ear
load Of c&e commodit.
Some Of the shippers estimate
the average Taving on mixed cars
{ $40 and if 10000 cars are shipped
this would mean S400.0O0 additional
revenue for the Valley. showing that
my estimate OF S250,OO0 saved IS
very conservative.
This saving was brought about
through the cooperation Of the
Missouri Pacific and Southern Pa
cific railroads. and they are largely
responsible for the new order being
issued. They agreed TO the ruling
and il was ordered by Hardy be-
cause the carriers were joining the
Valley interests in the plea for re-
lief"