PROCEEDINGS OF NINETEENTH FRUIT GROWERS' CONVENTION. 33 



than any possible good that can come from its adoption, I am against 

 it. As soon as the " one auction " resolutions were passed one year ago 

 and the growers had become committed to it through their votes in favor 

 of it, a scheme was invented through which a few could be benefited. 

 The " one auction " house was located in an inconvenient place. It was 

 farther from the business center and more difficult for the buyers to 

 deliver their purchases at their places of business. It also compelled 

 those who desired to sell through the " one auction " to ship over a cer- 

 tain railroad from Chicago to New York in order to reach the "one 

 auction " house. You could not reach that point by any other road. 

 Now, in my judgment, Colonel Weinstock is a business man, and sup- 

 posing that he was manager of the West Shore road and I had thirty or 

 forty cars to ship daily, could I not go to him and say, " I like your 

 road. You have the best road and can make better time and give better 

 service than any other road, providing you make the proper arrange- 

 ments to handle the business." As a business man, would he not make 

 those changes? Would he not try to control that number of cars and 

 come to some understanding about the shipping of those cars? Of course 

 he would. I think it is not improbable that the shipping managers and 

 the road have been able to come to an understanding by which better and 

 additional facilities for shipping by that route were afforded. 



Now, it is thrown out that this committee is appointed to reorganize 

 on the basis of the preamble expressed in these resolutions. The pre- 

 amble is where the meat is. Everybody is invited, of course. You will 

 find that, by the time we get through, if these resolutions are passed, 

 the same condition of things will exist next year as has existed this year. 



Now, ladies and gentlemen, I do not propose to detain you any longer. 

 I will say this in addition, that, as far as the City of New York is con- 

 cerned, the prices received were not higher than they were in other 

 places, notwithstanding the fact that within a radius of a few miles there 

 are millions and millions of people. I do not know whether or not it is 

 true, but presume it is, that there is more money for the dealers in New 

 York in the fruits brought from foreign countries than there is in Cali- 

 fornia fruits. Now, in comparing results, the West Shore handled less 

 than 60 per cent — between 40 and 50 per cent — of the fruit hauled from 

 California, and I think the Erie in the last month has handled more 

 fruit than the West Shore, because they got higher prices. 



Mr. Weinstock: From August 12th to October 19th, the gross sales 

 averaged 5 per cent higher on the West Shore than on the Erie. I 

 would state in this connection, Mr. Chairman, for the information of Mr. 

 Stephens, but which might be of interest also to other members, that 

 the figures are as follows: Bartlett pears on the West Shore averaged 

 $2 06; on the Erie, $1 88 a package. Assorted pears averaged $1 84 on 

 the West Shore; $1 50 on the Erie. Prunes, $1 20 on the West Shore; 

 96 cents on the Erie. Plums, 98 cents on the West Shore; 97 cents on 

 the Erie. Peaches, 83 cents on the West Shore; 83 cents on the Erie. 

 Apricots, $1 11 on the West Shore; $1 15 on the Erie. The total aver- 

 aged 5 per cent higher in favor of the West Shore. 



A Member: Mr. Stephens asserted this morning that he had sold 

 more fruit and obtained higher prices on the Erie than on the West 

 Shore. I suggest that the gentleman should give us his statement for 

 the same period, and let us compare those two statements of each pier 

 for the same period. 



3— FG 



