PROCEEDINGS OF TWENTY-SIXTH FRUIT-GROWERS' CONVENTION, 167 



because he had a fruit company. It is claimed that the Armour Com- 

 pany is not interested in the marketing of fruit, and yet there is the 

 strongest circumstantial evidence in the world that it is interested. 

 Now, suppose they should get a renewal of the contracts, is there any 

 law against a man selling his stock which he may hold in a corpora- 

 tion? Is there any law against a party buying it, and might it not be 

 an easy thing for them to come into possession of the stock of the Earl 

 Fruit Company? I believe that every person who invests capital in 

 any interest should be entitled to a fair compensation, that is, if the 

 interest is legitimate. But I want them to permit the growers to also 

 receive a reasonable interest upon the capital that they have invested 

 in agricultural interests in this State. You may take a car; they claim 

 now that the cost is $1,000, though possibly about $800. What is a fair 

 interest on $800. Allow them ten per cent, and what have you got? 

 It is $80 for the year. But that is nothing in comparison with what 

 they make. In talking with a refrigerator car man the other day, I 

 said .the growers should be allowed to make a fair interest on capital 

 invested and the labor. "No, sir," said he, "they ought not consider 

 interest on the capital invested." He said that was invested in real 

 estate, and they ought not to consider that they were entitled to interest 

 on capital invested in that way. He said the car was a perishable 

 article. I would like to see the growers and the refrigerator car lines 

 go into partnership to this degree, that each should be allowed the same 

 per cent or interest on the capital invested. If you would allow the 

 growers in California to receive an equal per cent for the capital invested 

 I think they would be perfectly satisfied to maintain rates as they are 

 now, because their income would be pretty good. I feel that that propo- 

 sition would be rejected, because they have a good thing and would not 

 enter into such an agreement with the growers. They say arbitrarily 

 that they must have so much, and that is all there is about it. The 

 fruit-growers are to a great degree masters of the situation, however, if 

 they only knew it. You will see from the memorial which was pre- 

 sented to the railroads, and which comprises but a limited part of the 

 correspondence that took place between the oflBcials of the railroads and 

 your committee, that they realize that the growers of California are a 

 unit, and this is the first time they ever recognized that thing. Prior to 

 this time the committee had appeared before the officials in a body and 

 said, "We want a reduction," etc., and the officials said, "We will take 

 it under advisement," and that was generally the end of it. But in this 

 case the committee constantly and continually, without an intermission 

 of six days, endeavored to support the resolution passed by this Con- 

 vention one year ago in the advocacy of the reduction of time. The 

 railroads at last seemed to realize that the fruit-growers were organized 

 and were getting to be an important factor. Then they were willing to 



