PROCEEDINGS OF THIRTY-THIRD FRUIT-GROWERS ' CONVENTION. 101 



them destinations all over the United States, and that the cars received 

 by the road are largely dependent upon the directions of shippers in 

 other sections of the country, maybe thousands of miles away. He 

 does not know that no railroad can tell a day in advance the volume or 

 direction of the tide of traffic, nor gauge accurately what kind of traffic 

 or where at any of its two thousand stations may be offered the next 

 day. No matter how great the magnitude of the country's commerce, 

 nor what unexpected demand may arise in some remote place, our 

 friend will insist that the railroad must immediately furnish cars 

 ordered or suffer fines. 



Perhaps, with honesty and sincerity, but without any investigation 

 into the cost of railway maintenance or transportation or construction, 

 without consideration for changing commercial conditions or the nature 

 of the different classes of transportation afforded, or the varying 

 country through which to be given, he will in an over-night committee 

 session prescribe blanket freight and passenger rates. If there be objec- 

 tions he says cheerfully, "Let's try it on anyway and see what happens," 

 following the example of the doctor who always hoped his patient would 

 survive even though he did prescribe for him. 



Also our friend will instruct the railroads as to the double tracks 

 they should build, the new depots they should construct, the hundreds 

 of engines and thousands of cars they must buy, and above all the new 

 lines into unknown country they must lay ; but all this without a hint 

 as to where the money is to come from to do the work. 



Now, the problems of transportation are of as much importance 

 to you as to the railroad. You want conditions to be such as to give 

 you service— good service. Scores and scores of times, business men 

 have said to me, "Your rates are all right; they're not hurting us; 

 we don't care so long as we get the same as the other fellow; but give 

 us service." If you ship for a certain market, the vital element in 

 transportation is that your product reach its destination for that mar- 

 ket, as, for example, oranges for holiday trade. If you buy for a cer- 

 tain market, say Christmas gifts for the holidays, the important element 

 is that the goods be received in season. Now, anything that impairs 

 the efficiency of this service, anything that prevents the growth of rail- 

 road facilities to meet the growth of commerce, is of real interest to you. 



These problems of efficiency as well as of rates are not to be settled 

 by ex parte judgment or perfervid oratory. They are to be considered 

 without confusion, one at a time, after careful consideration from all 

 points of view, in the same, sober, common-sense manner you treat other 

 business problems. About some of these problems I wish to speak a word 

 before we are through. 



Usually there is publicity for the things the railroad has not done. 

 Its shortcomings have a thousand voices. Once again, I ask your indul- 



