Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1931-08-09
RY n
tBy Staff Correspondent)


tBy Staff Correspondent
The burden the blanket Is per
cent increase in freight rates ask
ed by railroad carriers will have on
Valley commodities can be seen by
applying the proposed higher tar
ifs TO Items originating from this
section.
Should the proposed rates be put
into effect in time to owe the APP
preaching citrus fruit season the in
crease would amount to at least a
quarter Of a million dollars on this
commodity alone. More than likely
the increase would be nearer a half
million dollars on 10000 cars. A
similar increase would effect thous-
ands of carloads of fall, winter and
spring vegetables.
Present rate on citrus fruit 70 st.
Louis Is s1.44 per hundred weight.
The increase would be TO $l.65 per
cwt. or S1.32 per 80-pound box.
Present rate a box Is sl.15, making
an increase OF s0.17 box or about
$500 a car to this market. SINH
rally it would cost about $1,000 a
car more 10 ship fruit TO New York
and about $500 more to ship a car
20 Chicago or Cincinnati.
Effects Vegetables
Mixed vegetables, beets, carrots,
turnipS, and onions with tops, and
tomatoes and cucumber % carry
d rate OF sl.oo a hundred pounds TO
S.. Louis. a Is per cent increase
- IT, ~ 4am#m GT Ok EtVNflnr-
ly the rate TO New York would be
Increased from Sl.55 to Si.78, and
TO Chicago and Cincinnati from
sI.23 to sl.41. Figuring a minimum
of 10000 pounds FOR naked vegeta-
bles with tops, It would cost So
more to send a car to st. Louis, $40
to New Ye~b and s7r more 20 send
a -r rIn.-ulti
Similarly, m.Aeu vegetables with
out tops take a rate OF s0.06 to ST.
Louis. 1922 to New York and SO97
70 Chicago and Cincinnati. The in
rease in each instance would be
70 sO98, s1.40, and Sill. Applied 10
minimum permissible loadings OF
24OO0 pounds the increase per car
20 st. Louis would be $23.80. 70 New
York 1920 and TO Chicago p
Cincinnati $3.50. This rate also
applies to beets, carrots, onions and
turnins without tops and TO cab
4age. r.OEagiy more Valley Nege-
tables take this raUe than ans other
Potatoes take a still different
rate from the Valley. They carry
a rate Of s0.79 per cwt. to St. Iouis,
Slip to New York and S0BS 10 chi
caqo and Cincinnati. The 10 per
cent increase applied to these rates
would make them $3.50. Sl28 n
sl.O2. Applied 70 a permissible "a
600 pound minimum loading per
car this increase would amount TO
s26.4O per q 10 St. Louis, S38.40
to New York and 1920 TO Cincin-
natl or Chicago.
Rate Hike Fought
The Interstate Commerce Com
mission hearings began IN the East
last month. at a llme when the
Valley shipping SeaSo IS dormant
and most Of the shippers are IN
other sections. For this reaJOn pro-
tests from the Valley hav- been in
OLNlUlAaAI EhpANGoGA ~ 1A@afEN"1
and chambers of commerce. Whlle
this Nss been the case IN the Val
lev. however, D2--oral Shippers or
R-anizations have banded in a de-
termined effort 70 prevent an in
crease in food commodities. giving
many reasons why the hike should
not be granted on vegetables and
fruits. Commission merchants and
others including growers in CO.
operatives have joined the shippers
In protesting the proposed rates.
The hearings are in recess, the
railroads having closed their case.
When hearings are resumed 1t VIII
he to hear the opposi. on.
one OF the points expected 70 be
brought out Is that whereas ton
mage from other sources a been
falling off, food commodities have
provided increasing business FOR
railroads. Opponents Of the pro-
posed increase argue that food
commodities viii be asked to bear
most OF the burden. They would, of
course. Il the volume continued 20
GROW but this Is not expected. The
increase in rates more probab
would have the effect Of reducing
the tonnage, creating a SITUATION
onDosite 10 that desired by rail-
roads who then would get a reclc-
ed revenue instead Of a g 1ter IN
come, It is believed.
More Cars Shipped
According to +. S. Briggs, secre-
tarv OF the American Fruit and
Vegetable shippers Assn quoted IN
T-he produce News. the perishable
rroduce business grew from 663,44T
cars in 1920 to i.070.445 cars IN
-a2n g,r cv7~age tons loaded per
a ma, increased rather than de-
creased III the past few years. IL IS
also pointed u that the perlShacle
traffic for export increased ny
about 1885, 500 packages in 1880
eovs J. r. Van Arnum, traffic
manager for Tie League. In q pul-
"Our firm conviction is that the
cumulative effect OF the general
odvances Of % per cent in 1918 and
81 10 40 per cent in 1920 reduced
only 10 per cent in 1922, has been
q major cause OF the depression in
the AGRICULTURAL industry by virtue
81 tre restrictive effect OF high
freight rates.
1--WE have placed the carriers on
notice that application TO fruits
and vegetables Of this or any other
among other things, Will
cause loss and bankruptcy Tor thou
sands OK growers. who, unable TO
increase commodity prices. VIII
have 10 absorb the higher freight
charges out Of depleted net returns
-. a. frat0bt rate increase