WEST MICHIGAN FRUIT GROWERS' SOCIETY. 133 



well-being. We see, almost daily, both the good and the evil effects grow- 

 ing out of the labor strikes in our large towns and cities. These labor asso- 

 ciations, if properly conducted by honest, intelligent men, would doubtless 

 be the means of bestowing many benefits upon mankind ; but when controlled, 

 as they now are, in great measure, by unscrupulous, designing demagogues, 

 the consequences are far more evil than good. 



The objects of a fruit exchange should be, first, the improvement of the 

 quality and general appearance of the fruit we send to market — some may say 

 quality has nothing to do in the matter, appearance is everything; but I 

 think the two should go hand in hand. 



(2.) The need of more honesty in the packing and preparing of fruit for 

 market. It is needless to say that comparatively few shippers are strictly 

 honest in this respect. I do not wish to intimate that there is less regard 

 for straight dealing among fruit growers than other classes of producers. 

 Suffice to say, there is far too little among almost all classes. In the rush 

 and hurry of the shipping season there is, unfortunately, great temptation 

 to make a better appearance of our fruit than the general condition and 

 quality would warrant. 



(3.) Transportation. From points where fruit is shipped by rail, a combi- 

 nation of growers to secure rates by car-lots, would in many cases very much 

 reduce the cost of transportation, and cartage on the other side. Our trans- 

 portation on this lake shore, in the past, has been out of proportion, consid- 

 ering the distance, the fruit shipped to the same markets from distant points, 

 both east and west, and coming directly into competition with our fruit. 

 Grape growers in the lake region of western New York will ship by car lots 

 at a much lower rate than we ship across the lake by boat. If the fourth 

 section of the inter-state law is enforced, our shorter hauls will at least 

 enable us to compete for customers in our own markets. 



(4.) A wiser distribution of our fruits among consumers. As the business 

 is now conducted, the great bulk of the fruits are shipped to a few large cen- 

 ters of distribution and there rehandled and reshipped to outside points, 

 thus increasing largely the expense to the grower, and reducing the value of 

 the goods rehandled' and reshipped. Where car-lots can be shipped directly 

 to outside points it would be a great economy in expense, and the fruit would 

 arrive in much better condition, thus saving time and money. 



(5.) The regulating of consignments to responsible commission houses 

 might secure low rates of cartage and a lower rate of commission, say a 

 reduction from ten per cent to seven, and a resident agent, selected by the 

 growers and located in every large fruit market where heavy consignments 

 of fruit are shipped daily, would conduce largely to a more careful and hon- 

 est transaction of our business among the various commission houses to which 

 we consign our fruit. The ultimate object of a fruit exchange should be to 

 do away with middlemen as far and as soon as possible ; but in order to do 

 this much patience and painstaking labor must be performed. If we could 

 build up a good market at our respective places of shipping it would reduce 

 our expenses largely and increase our profits accordingly. 



(6.) The total abrogation of the present system of drumming for commission 

 houses should receive early and special attention from every fruit grower, 

 whether working individually or collectively. This is a nuisance that 

 should and must be abated sooner or later. It is virtually a tax upon every 

 fruit grower's labor. It is a tax that we can ill afford to pay. 



