Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-07-04
RAISE IN FREIGHT
. RATESHELD VITAL.
TOD. c. RESIDENTS
Increase Will Boost Cost of
Food in Capital, Parrish
Says in Statement.
MARKET HERE ABSORBS
1000 CARS ANNUALLY
Tremendous Volume Of Fresh
Fruits and Vegetables Pass
Through Potomac Yards.

/
The pocketbooks Of Neutrality-suspicious.
will be hit. especially those who pur-
chase fruits and vegetables, II the In
] terstate Commerce Commission grants
the appeal of the railroads for gen.
eral is per cent increase in freight
rates, according to local commission
merchants.
Not only will the consumers suffer.
1t is pointed out by the dealers in the
wholesale markets on Fifth street
northeast and Water street southwest,
| but such an increase may be BOOM
erang for the railroads in that greater
shipments Of such products would be
| brought to the Washington markets by
| truck.
Market Here Important.
This is one OF the most important
markets for fresh fruits and vegetables
on the Atlantic seaboard." according to
F. d. Parrish Of F. D. Parrish g. Bro,
president of the Washington Branch Of
the National League Of Commission
Merchants. I'VE have a very impor-
tant stake in this freight rate contro-
versy. This market absorbs more
than 1000 carloads Of fresh fruits and
vegetables each year. Many OF these
shipments come from distant produc-
ing sections-California Florida Tex
as-and Is per cent increase in
freight rates on these long hauls Is
likely to mean higher prices for con-
sumers. less business for distributors of
these commodities. less tonnage and
therefore less revenue for the railroads
themselves. and more business for the
motor truck operators"
The commission men take the posi-
ton that freight rates on fresh fruits
and vegetables now are too high and
that any further increase in the
transportation rate would drive much
of this trafic of the rails and into mo-
tor trucks.
On the basis Of the last available
complete figures. 1929. the Washington
market absorbed 7,195 carloads of do
nestle fresh fruits and vegetables and
80 carloads Of imports. To this must
be added a large volume which moved
into the market by truck.
452 Cars Of Apples.
WaShington's annual menu, on the
basis OF 1929. calls for 452 cars Of APP
piles, 234 cars of grapes. lis peaches,
80 pears. 81 plums and prunes. 321
grapefruit. Is lemons. $40 oranges, 48
strawberries. 428 cantaloupes. $50 wa
termelons, 554 cabbage. BAT celery. 610
ACObuCCs OIL AttOT pOId-
toes and 246 sweet potatoes and 307
carloads of tomatoes.
From IS States. the Washington
market draws its supplies of fresh
fruits and vegetables. AS Mr.. Parrish
points out, many of these shipments
come from far places. For example. in
1929. California shipped 1901 cars to
Washington, Oregon shipped As cars,
Washington State 1874. Idaho 1l6. Ari-
In
Florida 1893, Mississippi Sc, while
Texas shipped to this market los
cars.
Shipments from some Of the nearer
States included 778 cars from Virginia,
II cars from Maryland. 283 cars from
Pennsylvania. 81 from New Jersey,
828 from New York, from Delaware.
While shipments by railroad from /
South Carolina, 3ss cars, John H.
Shreve of William o. Shreve &, Sons
Co., on Water street southwest, is au-
thority for the statement that IS per
cent of the fruits and vegetables |
shipped from these two States to WASH |
ington now move by motor truck He |
points out that to increase freight |
rates an additional Is per cent is but |
to strengthen the position Of the motor |
truck operators as competitors of the |
railroads for the fruits and vegetables |
traffic.
Potomac Yards Vital.
Outside Of railroad circles, it is not |
generally known that Potomac Yards, !
located between the Highway Bridge |
and Alexandria, handles the greater |
part of all the fruit and vegetable |
shipments moving from the Southeast to |
the terminal markets North and West. |
No railroad switching yard in the coun- |
try handles a larger volume of fruits |
and vegetables traffic than does Po-
tomac Yards. Most of the fruits and |
vegetables from the Southeast is |
shipped to Potomac Yards and sold en- |
route. reinstatement of the shipments |
being made as they arrive in Potomac |
Yards.
Washington distributors of fresh
fruits and vegetables are opposed to the |
railroads petition for an increase in |
freight rates If the higher rates are to |
apply to these perishable food conn
modities. They are now assembling |
data which will be presented to the
Interstate Commerce Commission to
substantiate the contention that these
commodities cannot carry higher freight
rates without serious generalization of |
the Washington market and further
loss Of business to the railroads them
selves.