| Show RIPLEY APPROVES RATE I No Relief for California Friiit Growers J I ORANGES ARE HELD BACK I f I Shippers Remain Firm In Determination Determina-tion to Hold Fruit Even if it Spoils on their Hands Railroads Slake an Elaborate Defense of their Position which they Claim is Justin I Just-in All Respects and Explain tho Operation of Private Car Lines Sand Drifts of the Columbia Los Angeles Jan 3A telegram has been received from President Rlpley of thoSanto Fe Railway company In whIch he says that the action of the agents ofthe company here In the rimi terof citrus fruit shipments meets his approval There arc now nearly 100 carloads of oranges awaiting shipment President NHftzRir of the Southern California Fruit Exchange says that the shippers will hold out though he believes much oC the years crop mayI I bo ruined The railroads have Issued a statement I I state-ment of their side of the case for publication publi-cation The statement in purt says I r Regarding the controversy between I 4 citrus fruit shippers and ral1r ads as to who has the right to route the ship I I men is railroads operating from the Pacific coast have always reserved the I right to route shipments when the through rate was guaranteed and In i their bills of lading never contracted to I I j forward a shipment by any particular route However the railroads up to I this time have never exorcised the right I to route shipments Citrus fruit shippers i ship-pers have been complaining for several I i years about the operation of private I car lines with railroads by which they I got a commission or some other form of rebate greatly In excess of what could be obtained by the average shipper I ship-per Railroads were competing one with the other for the citrus fruit shipments ship-ments and It has been claimed art ar-t rangements via one connecting line with California roads for rebates were better than another and shippers were constantly changing their shipments from one route to another I t All this time the legitimate shipper who had no arrangements with the railroads I I rail-roads was made to suffer If he could J i not get a rebate he was compelled to quit the business This rebate practice grew year by year and was a great de molarlzer both In railroad rates and prices of oranges There Is nothing arbitrary In tho position taken by the railroads The routes used to reach destinations are the same tho shippers have been using for yeaIs with a very few exceptions and the exceptions are the roundabout routes used for the purpose of obtaining obtain-ing a little higher commission or rebate re-bate than was paid by the direct routes The rate on oranges has not been raised and any information that has in past been given to shippers as to the whereabouts of their shipments Is not curtailed in any way |
