The results of this investigation were brought to the attention of the traffic department and the next spring it sent a circular to the farmers in the truck region urging that the watermelon acreage be reduced, as the rates on that business were not remunerative, and stating that the railroad would not undertake to handle it except in the regular cars that were brought into the territory in the ordinary course of traffic; that there would be no special trains, nor special service of any character. The melon growers at once notified the State Railroad Commission, which, in turn, requested the railroad company and the melon growers to attend a meeting to discuss the whole subject. When the meeting convened the chairman called upon the railroads to say why they had caused so much trouble. The railroad representative, who was the aforesaid assistant to the general manager, stated that as he had been invited to attend the meeting it might be proper for whomsoever instigated it to open the discussion. Several shippers made statements of their complaints, all admitting, however, that the melon business had become very profitable,--one grower saying that $300 to $500 per car was being made out of a crop. The railroad representative then made a reply, showing the loss to the company from handling the business for the previous year, and stated that unless cost for the handling and something by way of profit could be obtained, the company would prefer to move other crops. He showed that it had been necessary to park 350 to 400 especially prepared stock cars in the melon territory; that it had taken a month or six weeks to gather these cars, which had to be hauled empty to the melon fields. He then pointed out that the rate per melon was less than a cent and a quarter, whereas it had cost the farmer four or five cents per melon to bring it by wagon the one or two or three miles to the railroad track. The chairman objected to some of the analyses, especially to the contrast of four or five cents per melon for the wagon haul from the farm with the cent or a cent and a half per melon for the railroad haul of two hundred miles. When the railroad man had finished, farmers from all over the room began to ask questions directly of him. They wanted to know how much they should pay to afford the railroad some slight profit. They were told 12 or 12½, cents. The chairman said: "The rate cannot be changed. It has been fixed by law at 7½ cents and that is the rate. I am here to protect the people of these counties." The railroad man suggested that his company might be willing in addition to affix the necessary slats to the stock cars and perform the switching for $5 to $6 per car. The farmers were willing to accept this, but the chairman insisted that it was contrary to law, and finally said in his wrath, "If you men here are going to deal with the railroad company you can do it without me. This meeting is adjourned."