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could not be carried out. But I believe we can bring influence enough 

 to bear to carry that programme through to Chicago in 1895. 



Mr. Buck: Do you think there is any chance for you to start a train 

 on reasonable time if one car of the ten does not go? Do you think it 

 practicable for you to run one week with less than ten cars in order to 

 get the fruit shipments started? 



Mr. Smurr: We are willing to consider that. Of course I will not 

 promise you that we will take five cars to Chicago. We will fill out the 

 train with other cars. Whether we can make schedule time with five 

 cars is a matter that I would want to discuss further with your com- 

 mittee. 



Mr. Buck: If this was the commencement of the fruit season I believe 

 that if a train was started to-morrow, before it had run a week, you 

 would have no trouble in getting more than ten cars. If fruit growers 

 can depend upon starting at the proper time there will be no trouble in 

 getting the train made up. 



Mr. Block: Mr. Smurr has expressed his opinion to us that proper 

 distribution is a very important matter. I want to impress upon him 

 and Mr. Curtis, and the railroad parties, that proper distribution last 

 year was very much hindered by delay. And I want to point out that 

 the railroad company must assist us in that, or else we cannot do our 

 duty in that respect. If we have a car that is ten days on the way 

 instead of five, or if it arrives in Chicago on Sunday morning instead of 

 Saturday morning, it very seriously interferes with the proper distribu- 

 tion of our products. 



Mr. Smurr: I understand that thoroughly. 



Mr. Block: I am glad you do. 



Mr. Smurr: I have met Mr. Buck not only in committee meetings 

 but in many personal interviews during the season, and I have never met 

 him that he did not give me a speech on that very subject. [Laughter.] 

 In this connection I will say that any information we can furnish your 

 committee in the way of aiding them, is at their service. And any way 

 in which we can aid the fruit grower that will not interfere with indi- 

 vidual interests we will be glad to do so. 



Mr. Fowler: In the shipment of dried fruit from the section which 

 I represent, are there any reasons why there should be such a large dif- 

 ference in the cost of shipping canned goods and raisins ? 



Mr. Smurr: The answer to that is this: As I explained this morn- 

 ing, there are many factors that are necessary to make rates. Among 

 the leading factors are two kinds of competition, competition of markets 

 and competition of carriers. We find that we have the competition of 

 the carrier to fix, and the question is whether we will go out of business, 

 or if we can figure that there is a nominal profit above the cost of haul- 

 ing, if there is one mill per mile above the cost of hauling, that one 

 mill is a contribution to our expenses. When a committee was ap- 

 pointed from your district, they visited us, and we had considerable 

 discussion and consideration of the market competition prevailing in 

 the East, and it was conceded that some modification of the freight rate 

 was necessary. It was claimed very urgently at that time that the 

 same interests existed for a reduction in the raisin rate. But we could 

 not well give one rate on general freight and another rate on raisins. 

 Consequently, we reduced the rates in the one instance in boxes 40 per 

 cent, and in the other about 30 per cent. These reductions were made 

 against a competing market. 



