182 STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



A TUSSLE WITU THE AMERICAN EXPRESS COMPANY. 



During the preceding half- hour's talk there was an interested listener of 

 whose presence very few were aware. He was a man of dark complexion and 

 darker looks; of grizzled hair and even more grisly mien. He entered and 

 glanced about as might an angered lion upon a group of chattering and unsus- 

 pecting monkeys whose presumption in disturbing his nap had at once roused 

 his ire and whetted his appetite. He was Crawford Augell of Grand Kapids, 

 manager at that point of the American Express Company's affairs in western 

 Michigan. He had been telegraphed to by the agent at Fennville, who thought 

 he scented danger. By the time he was through with the "subsequent proceed- 

 ings" he was as angry as in the beginning, but a great deal less arrogant. 

 Following 3Ir. Morrill, Mr. Angell rose and thus remarked: In many cases 

 these speakers have drawn on their imaginations for their facts. The grow- 

 ers are often at fault for being late and so compelling rapid, and therefore 

 careless, handling of their fruit. Whenever a real grievance has come to our 

 notice we have given it attention. The express company is doing business to 

 make money, and not merely for the sake of doing it. We have tried to f ui nish 

 convenient cars, with shelves, so that baskets do not rest upon one another. 

 We can do unloading as well and as quickly as anyone. (To Mr. Gooiirich.) 

 Do you pretend to say you can deliver to the merchants the contents of fifteen 

 cars in thirty-five minutes? No one can do that. 



Mr. Goodrich denied having said he could ''deliver" fifteen carloads in' 

 that time, but that he had unloaded that number and had the contents "on 

 the way" to the merchants in thirty-five minutes from the time of beginning. 

 Mr. Angell denied that such were Mr. Goodrich's words, but was overcome 

 by the recollection of several gentlemen and by the reporter's notes. Mr. 

 Goodrich continued: I do not deliver upon South Water street, but to 

 expressmen on the platform. , I have unloaded from twenty-five to thirty 

 cars by 9 o'clock, when it took the American Express Company till the next 

 day to do the same amount of work. 



D. W. Hinman related experience he had at Grand Haven, where he saw 

 grapes from Allegan piled out of the car into a heap, the expressman kick- 

 ing the baskets occasionally to get them into place. He tried to make com- 

 plaint to ^Ir. Angell's son, but he refused to sive the matter any attentioi), 

 on the ground that they were not Mr. Hinman's grapes. 



R. Morrill, to Mr. Angell : If you will start an investigation you will find 

 an abundance of unquestionable evidence of such abuses as those of which 

 wo complain. The case of which I spr ke was at the end of the route, so 

 there can be no excuse of unavoidable haste. I reported this case to agent 

 George Thayer, but never learned that anything was done about it. 



Mr. Angell: He never reported it to me. 



Mr. Morrill : If the express company can not handle our fruit better, can 

 not carry it to and from the cars without pitching it, it should give way to 

 some company or agents who can. [Cheers.] 



Mr. Angell : AVe expect to — when we have to. 



Mr. Morrill, continuing, urged the need of lower express rates to interior 

 towns of this and other states. 



Mr. Angell: Our point is to please the shippers, and when fault is found 

 we do our best to remedy the evil, even to dischago of employes if necessary. 

 AVe do not like to handle fruit roughly, but sometimes have to. We remedied 



