I 111. MoNTlll.\ 1:1 I i.i TIN. 



163 



own group five representatives. 1 would ask these five distributors to 

 select the besl man thai could be found anywhere in America to take 

 charge of the Bureau, and 1 would appoint him as a deputy of the 

 State Commission Market. This man. subjed of course to the rules and 

 regulatii as of the State .Market Director, would be guided by the advice 

 and counsel and judgment of the five best men among the distributors. 

 Under such a plan every shipper would be guaranteed a "square deal." 



The state ild not afford to be party to anything but a "square deal" 



because this whole movement being purely voluntary it could exist 

 only so long as the members felt that they were getting a "square deal." 

 Just as soon as they felt favoritism were being exercised, the thing 

 would disintegrate. ' It could not stand. Hence, if the state would 

 want to perpetuate the movement, the distributors must be assured of an 

 honest effort . They would be assured of intelligent i (fort because their 

 best brains would be placed at the disposal of this bureau of distribu- 

 tion. 



So much for the criticisms that have been offered against the plan. 

 Now for the facts. Theories sometimes are very beautiful. You may 

 have heard the story about Professor Agassiz. One day he was sitting 

 on his veranda chatting with an old New England friend. The con- 

 versation drifted to a discussion of a certain variety of fish. The New 

 Englander went on to say that that particular variety of fish was to be 

 found in a stream running through his New England estate. Professor 

 Agassiz said, "Thai is impossible. Science has proven that that kind 

 of fish cannot live under those climatic conditions." The next day, 

 when the New Englander returned home, he went out and caught one 

 of these fish and expressed it with his compliments to the professor. 

 The following morning he received this telegram. '•Your little fish has 

 kicked my big theory to death"; and so we find that a little fact will 

 often kick a big theory to death. My old friend, Manage]' Nagle, tells 

 me you do not need a bureau of distribution. It is a waste of effort. 

 I have here a chart showing the movement of Bartlett pears for one 

 week in tin' city of New York, giving the quantity sold for each day of 



Chart Showing Movement of Bartlett Pears for One Week, in the 



City of New York. 



Day 



Date 



Oars 



MoDday - July 24 



Tuesday , July 25 



Wednesday July 26 



Thursday July 27 



Friday July 28 



Boxes Average 



27,100 

 14,045 

 11,765 

 14,550 

 16,195 



$2 04 

 2 21 

 2 48 

 2 48 

 2 57 



that week. .Monday. Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday. Friday. You 

 will observe that the total, the aggregate shipments for that week, was 

 about 83,000 boxes. If you or I controlled these pears and we were 

 going to market them in the city of Xew York, we would naturally 

 want to distribute them over the week as intelligently as possible. In 



