FIB^TY FIRST ANNUAL REPORT. 12C 



as it has to me, that a car supposedly sold, has reached the market 

 only to be turned down by the receiver. 



For a number of years I have owned and operated a commercial 

 peach and apple orchard of 120 acres in the hills of western Maryland. 

 Nothing is so disappointing as to sell a car at a satisfactory price, f.o.b., 

 roll it to market and then receive a telegram that it has been declined. 

 Sometimes the market has weakened and the receiver has hence taken 

 advantage perhaps technically or upon substantial ground, to rid himself 

 of his bargain. 



A few years ago I sold a car of peaches to Detroit, f. o. b. mj- station 

 and it did not even pay the freight after standing on the track for a num- 

 ber of days. I believe I was called upon at the moment to make good 

 a deficiency of over ninety dollars on the freight bill. In this case the 

 receiver at the market threw the blame back upon the buyer and shipper 

 because of shortcomings of the carrier, namely slow movement and failure 

 to be iced, and the shipper to whom I sold threw the car back on me. 

 It took the car nine days to reach Detroit and over two days to get 

 from the outer yards to the unloading tracks in Detroit. Fortunately 

 in this case I was able to collect the value of the shipment from the car- 

 rier. However, my personal good fortune was no asset to the industry 

 as it meant a practically total loss of a car of good fruit to the consumer 

 and a heavy bill of expense to the railroad. 



The avoidance of the economic burden that waste, decay, delay, and 

 other undesirable factors occasion, totaling many millions of dollars per 

 year, is the end toward which every element of the industry should bend 

 its energies. 



Sales for shipment at various dates, sales on delivered terms, track 

 sales, and other terms must be equally clearly understood as being uni- 

 formly applied if the perishable industry is to be put on a firm and satis- 

 factory business basis. Unfair methods of competition likewise must 

 be avoided. Prompt settlement of growers' account and the strict 

 observance on both sides of all marketing contracts must obtain. 



Wonderful progress in standardization has been- made in the Anglo 

 Saxon world since the first intimation given in the records of any attempt 

 to estabhsh a standard occurred in 1120 when King Henry ordered that 

 the ell or ancient yard should be the exact length of his arm. Neverthe- 

 less,, we are only now on the eve of the greatest application of standard- 

 ization to the problems of industrial, commercial, agricultural and educa- 

 tional progress. 



TRANSPORTATION PROBLEMS IN THE MARKETING AND 

 DISTRIBUTION OF PERISHABLES. 



There has never been a time in the history of the United States since 

 the development of carriage by rail reached a point of development on 

 a parity with the population and development of the country, when 

 transportation problems played so serious and controlling a part in 

 perishable production. 



As you all know, the transportation rates that have prevailed since 

 September 1, 1920, represent an increase of from 50 to 100 per cent 

 over those that prevailed prior to the World War. The situation has 

 now reached the point where many producing sections, particularly 



