476 THE MONTHLY BULLETIN. 



was on the part of the representatives that not less than the price named 

 was to be accepted unless they all consented, and we wonld have to 

 call representatives in from fourteen different districts and cities, 

 scattered widely, when we got an offer for a carload of almonds. 

 Working in that manner you can easily realize our difficulties, and so 

 that wouldn't work. Finally they got together and put it in the hands 

 of three men, the manager, president and vice-president. And they 

 said to the manager, when you get an offer you can telephone the 

 other two men and get their opinion and approval to reduce the price. 

 After that the manager 'phoned the others four or five times in this 

 way, then the reply came back from both the president and vice-presi- 

 dent to go ahead and do just the best you can ; thus the work gradually 

 was placed in the hands of one man. Make sure of your man. have the 

 highest confidence in him ; bond him so you know there is no danger of 

 his selling out ; protect yourself in every way possible, but put it event- 

 ually in such a manner that your representative can take his place at 

 one side of the table and the buyer at the other, and then they can fight 

 it put. Eventually that is where it will come. 



Now regarding the fruit business, we started out about sixty days ago 

 at the request of the fruit growers themselves. They were called 

 together without previously considering the question of the dried fruit 

 market. But it made no difference whatever to them— it was co-opera- 

 tive work generally', and it didn't take long to come to an understanding 

 when we got to work, and we now have nine local organizations, formed 

 and incorporated, and these are tied together in a central marketing 

 bod}^, known as the California Cured Fruit Exchange. This was 

 incorporated the twenty-fifth of last month. It has already started 

 in business. "We began writing to a selected list of brokers, aiming to 

 select our representatives in different cities. On Saturday we per- 

 fected and made our arrangements with our first broker. On Wednes- 

 day morning we received a telegram from him for a carload of fruit 

 and wanted us to wire our price. Now, that is quick work. It only 

 shows what can be done. The probability is that before the 1913 

 crop is ready to move we shall have brokers handling our fruits in not 

 less than a hundred of the markets of the United States. We have 

 already received letters from England and Holland, from people who 

 are anxious to represent us. They have seen in the papers that we 

 were organizing, and they were anxious to get in touch Avith the 

 growers' organization. The object of the organization is not to elimi- 

 nate anybodj^ from the business who rightfully belongs there, but we 

 cannot afford to have our business, our opportunities, and our just 

 deserts taken from us by speculative commissioners who are in the 

 business to make all they can get out of it and leave nothing for the 

 grower. I saw a political cartoon recently which contained a splendid 

 lesson. I am going to give a little of it, just for illustration. The 

 trusts were represented by a big fat man ; he was fishing. He had 

 caught two eels, which were in a basket beside him; one was named 



