TEANSPOETATION OF FEUIT 



CHARGES TOO HIGH —COMPLAINTS AGAINST 

 THE EXPRESS COMPANIES— PILFERING OF PACK- 

 AGES—FREIGHT ACCOMMODATION INADEQUATE. 



THE Niagara Peninsula United Fruit 

 Growers' Association is the rather 

 formidable name of a very progres- 

 sive body of commercial fruit growers who 

 hold their meetings quite frequently in vari- 

 ous parts of that district. 



At one of their recent meetings at St. 

 Catharines the following report was pre- 

 sented by Mr. C. W. Vanduzer, chairman of 

 the transportation committee, and was 

 adopted : 



That having taken into consideration the 

 present condition of the fruit industry of this 

 district with regard to carrying companies, 

 both as to services and accommodation fur- 

 nished and rates of carriage exacted, we 

 have arrived at the following conclusions, to 

 which we respectfully call your attention. 



TRANSPORTATION BY EXPRESS. 



1. Owing to the very rapid expansion of 

 the volume of trade in fruits during the past 

 decade, the accommodation for receiving and 

 handling shipments at many of the shipping 

 stations throughout this district have become 

 quite inadequate, considerable improvement 

 in the way of suitable platforms and covered 

 sheds is urgently needed. 



2. Fruit being of a perishable nature it vs 

 very desirable that all shipments be sent for- 

 ward as rapidly as possible after arriving ?ft 

 a period of maturity. Lack is proper help 

 to receive and forward consignments 

 promptly has however frequently resulted m 

 loss and annoyance to the shipper and to his 

 customers. Owing to frequent changes in 

 the weather conditions it is essential that ths 

 shipper be allowed the latest possible mo- 

 ment previous to the departure of trains tD 



prepare and deliver his shipment to the ex- 

 press company. 



3. Numerous complaints of the pilfering 

 of packages in transit have been made to 

 your committee. This should be remedied 

 and explicit instructions given company's 

 employees, looking to the abatement of this 

 evil. 



4. The item of packages is a large and 

 ever increasing expense to the shippers, and 

 it is considered that in all cases when the 

 consignee returns the empty packages in 

 good order to the express company that they 

 should be handled with care and some as- 

 surance given that they will be returned free 

 of charge in good condition to the point of 

 shipment. 



5. It is the unanimous opinion of your 

 committee that a substantial decrease in the 

 rates should be insisted upon by this associa- 

 tion. The present high rates in force have 

 resulted in a very great hardship to thou- 

 sands of shippers in a season of full crops 

 resulting in many instances in the shipper 

 becoming quite discouraged in his ef- 

 forts to his fruit products, which, in 

 consequence, frequently remain ungath- 

 ered and lie rotting in the orchards. It 

 is believed that a lower express rate would 

 result at once in giving an impetus to he 

 fruit trade, in doubling the volume of ship- 

 ments handled by the express companies, 

 and bring about a state of affairs which 

 would be more satisfactory to producers, 

 carriers and consumers alike. While it is 

 felt that in a general way the rate is much 

 too high, there are several points to which 

 the companies should give special attention 

 with a view to encouraging shipments, not- 



