THE MONTHLY BULLETIN. 161 



call a bureau of information, 1ml what I would call a bureau of distribu- 

 tion. Every morning the distributors through their representatives sent 

 in the information to the head of the bureau, setting forth what they 

 proposed to ship thai day and where they proposed to ship it. That 

 information was tabulated on a blackboard, the distributors by repre 

 sentation and in advance having agreed what would be a fair quota 

 I'm- each market. When this information is tabulated on the black- 

 board ami the diversions and transfers en route added thereto, it 

 instantly brings to tin- eye the overloads and the underloads and a read- 

 justment takes place. By a system of "give-and-take" between the 

 distributors, they relieve the over-burdened markets and till up the 

 under-supplied markets, thus minimizing waste and making the distri- 

 bution scientifically and intelligently. 



I was glad that the Imperial Valley had anticipated my idea, because 

 I felt that 1 would no longer be dealing with a theory. I would have 

 an object lesson that I could point to as a demonstration; and I began 

 to advocate iu the early part of this year the wisdom, the necessity, and 

 I he importance of the distributors and shippers getting together and 

 organizing this proposed state bureau of distribution. Eighty-five per 

 eeiii i,|' the fresh fruit shippers signified their readiness to organize. 

 but the unexpected happened, 'the firsl people, I thought, who would 

 avail themselves of this plan would be the Exchange, because the 

 Exchange is a cooperative society. Hut to my surprise practically 

 every shipper came into the plan except the Exchange. The only 

 satisfaction I could get from the Exchange and from my old friend 

 Mr. Nagle. the manager, was that he would take it up with the board 

 of directors. When I came to talk to him about it he surprised me 

 very much by saying that in his judgment it was not necessary, that 

 the distribution was satisfactory as it was. and he had means of keeping 

 himself informed on what the other fellows were doing and he saw no 

 occasion for the Bureau, hut if tic time ever came when I could prove 

 to him that there was occasion lor it. then, of course, he was ready to 

 listen. The time came when I was prepared to prove to him that there 

 was occasion for it. The time came when I could do that, not by 

 argument but by facts, but so far as 1 have been able to ascertain, 

 .Mr. Xagle has not yet changed his mind. 



Objections have been raised to the plan and before I take up these 

 facts that I am going to present, I want to take up the objections. 



There are those who fell the state ought not to "butt in," that it was 

 id wise to have a political machine have anything to do with the 

 growers' associations and I am frank to confess that, if some years ago 

 under the old political conditions, somebi <\y hail come to me as a farmer 

 and producer ami hail suggested the idea of having anything to do 

 with the state commission. I would have said, "Not mi your life." If 

 that suggestion ha, I l„, d made at a time when California, as you know, 

 had the fines! legislators that money could buy anywhere, I would 

 have said, "Not mi your life" because I would have had no assurance 

 but what some hothouse politician or some ward heeler mighl have 

 been foisted on the growers iu payment for some political debt, some 

 hothouse politician, utterly unlit for the job. But, thank God, we are 

 no longer living under the political period that gave us political bosses. 

 Political bossism has been buried si, deep that neither you nor I nor 



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