THE MONTHLY BULLETIN. 453 



than the upper tier. That means that the intermediate tiers of course 

 were damaged, and the very fact that there is any fruit at all damaged 

 in the car is a detriment and an admonition to the buyers not to pay 

 too much for it ; therefore, that damaged fruit in a car is a great 

 detriment to the interests of the fruit growers. I wish to call your 

 attention also to a little item of two or three lines — switching charges 

 made by the Southern Pacific for cars switched to the tracks of the 

 Western Pacific — which is mentioned on page 15 of this report. The 

 Southern Pacific certainly is very generous. It only asks 50 per cent 

 of the full rate. For switching a car a distance of only about eight 

 miles to the tracks of the Western Pacific, look at the excessive rates 

 charged. Now this is an important question, and I want you all to 

 realize its importance — you who are fruit growers and shippers. To 

 Salt Lake City the Southern Pacific receives $68.77 for that little 

 si^rvice. To Chicago it receives $59.54, and that, you must understand, 

 simply for hauling that car only seven or eight miles, to the tracks of 

 the Western Pacific. Now if the Western Pacific can afford to pay 

 that heavy switching rate, and is yet desirous of getting the business, 

 it shows that we should receive great deduction in transportation 

 charges. This is a matter of interest to every man, woman and child 

 in this State. Is it good policy to go ahead or shall we remain perfectly 

 quiet and silent on this question and permit the Southern Pacific to 

 drive out the great competing lines ? It forestalls competition ; it inter- 

 feres with trade ; it interferes with competition. Here is a road built 

 at an expense of many millions of dollars that has come in and because 

 of lack of traders it has to pay this great bribe to the Southern Pacific. 

 I want every one of you to get a copy of this report and go through it 

 very thoroughly, and you will find that we have given some startling 

 facts. In this report is the correspondence had with the railroad 

 officials and with different parties and our committee. In this report 

 are letters from well known men, from McKevitt and others, endorse- 

 ments of their ideas, to this committee. I am very sorry we are so 

 limited for time in regard to this discussion. I think we ought to have 

 more time in which to carry on this discussion. It is more important 

 than anything else. You have known how to grow fruit for many 

 years, but you haven't experience in marketing it at a profit. Now we 

 must solve this problem, how to market our fruit — we must adopt some 

 plan whereby our deciduous fruit growers of California can get their 

 products into the consumers' hands. Remember when you go out this 

 noon to take one of these reports with you. They will be on the table 

 just as you go out. 



Dr. Cook. It seems to me that we owe a great debt of gratitude to 

 our friend Mr. R. D. Stephens. He has worked hard and faithfully 

 and has served the fruit growers' interests of California for many 

 years. We ought to have a vote of thanks now, and we ought to receive 

 this report and place it on file with the secretary, and we also ought to 

 thank him for his long and faithful work, and the committee should 



