THE NINETEENTH ANNUAL MEETING. 119 



he will be well supplied with produce, at least until the success or failure 

 of the plan is determined. If not, some combination of growers will 

 undoubtedly try the experiment, and it should be put to the test early next 

 season. 



" There are points connected with this business which could be profit- 

 ably considered here, but if we attempt to do too much at once the proba- 

 bility is that all would come to naught, thereby defeating our purpose. 



WHAT WE SHOULD NOT EXPECT, 



" As I stated before, there are a few things which we should not expect 

 of our partner, which are too often asked of him. We should remember 

 that he stands between two tires, one from the growler and the other from 

 the buyer, and we must not expect him to protect us from our own ini- 

 quity in any form. If we use "snide" packages we must not expect him 

 to get as good prices as he would for standard packages. If we will insist 

 on stufiing the bottoms of our packages with inferior fruit, we should not 

 expect him to lose a customer on account of that, but he should make the 

 customer satisfied at our expense, even if he has to even it up from later 

 shipments. We must not blame him, if we send him a consignment with 

 strict orders to sell at once, if he sells low ; or, if not finding a buyer, he 

 takes the lot himself at its market value. I have frequently heard ship- 

 pers complain that they receive sales while they know the goods are still 

 in the store. Sometimes this is their own fault, as they compel the mer- 

 chant to take this course in order to hold their trade, and we m;ist expect 

 him to buy at a safe price. 



" There is one feature of the business, which is sometimes ] .racticed, that 

 we object to most decidedly. That is the practice of making selections 

 from consignments for storing, leaving the seconds to be worked off, 

 thereby injuring the sale of the lot; and in such cases proper prices are 

 soldom attached to the first selection. 



" With these few suggestions we will turn our partner over to the tender 

 mercy of the growers assembled here, asking all to be just and courteous, 

 and let us see if some practical, substantial benefit cannot be worked out 

 of this matter." 



THE COMMISSION MERCHANT'S SIDE 



• 



Of the case was presented by Mr. George W. Bamett, of Chicago, in the 

 following paper, which was read by the secretary: 



" The relations existing between the fruitgrower or shipper — for in this 

 paper I use the terms interchangeably — and the commission merchants are 

 of a peculiar nature. 



" I do not propose to take any exceptional, extreme, or contracted view 

 of the subject, but a plain consideration of their present relations to each 

 other, and what may fairly be expected by the fruit shipper from his 

 agent. 



"Many considerations at once come to the front, that have a vital bearing 

 on the question, such as: Are there any mutual obligations? Has the 

 commission merchant a right to expect any thing from the grower? And 

 what should not be expected of the commission merchant? 



"But the wording of the subject seems to preclude any discussion of 

 anything but what the shipper should expect. 



