Page 6 



BETTER FRUIT 



March 



be to defeat the entire purpose of this 

 movement to bring about a protective 

 community of all the growers. The 

 attention of each district is called to 

 the importance of putting this move- 

 ment before every one engaged in 

 marketing fruit. The individual sell- 

 ing his own crop and the commission 

 liHn selling the crops of others are 

 just as vitally interested in the pro- 

 tection of the price as is the grower 

 in any present organization. The pre- 

 liminary agreement has been signed, 

 but the books are still open, and every 

 shipper of fruit should be brought in 

 line. 



, The entire purpose of this move- 

 ment for the organization of a grow- 

 ers' council is to provide a way in 

 which the growers can completely 

 control the price of their fruit and 

 all marketing, and to put in effect the 

 plan agreed to by the marketing 

 agencies at Seattle. It is therefore 

 important that the initial plan as 

 adopted by the growers' council shall 

 be a simple proposition carrying into 

 effect the Central Board of Control. 

 The functions and duties of this board 

 will develop under investigation and 

 experience, but the immediate need is 

 some direct way of protecting the 

 market from demoralization. Market- 

 ing the fruit at a profit is the essential 

 thing, and this cannot be accom- 

 plished with by-laws, but must be the 

 result of successful control of the mar- 

 ket. The members of the committee 

 will be glad to endeavor to explain 

 any points that may arise, but the 

 movement is in the hands of the grow- 

 ers themselves and the representation 

 that they elect to send to Tacoma. 



The following resolution was adopt- 

 ed by the Seattle convention: 



"This convention wishes to declare 

 its belief as follows: That tliere 

 should be created a small board for 

 the purpose of supervising all agencies 

 handling and selling the fruit of the 

 growers of the four Northwestern 

 States. The purpose of this board to 

 be to put into effect such plans as 

 shall be found necessary for the es- 

 tablishment of a firm market price for 

 the Northwestern fruit and for tlic 

 carrying through of such work as 

 shall be found advisable to prevent 

 the demoralization of the market. This 

 central board shall ne chosen by and 

 shall operate under the direction of a 

 growers' council representing all of 

 the Northwestern fruit districts, com- 

 posed of three members at large and 

 one additional member for each 2,")0 

 cars or fraction thereof marketed 

 from that district. 



"For the purpose of setting in mo- 

 tion the machinery that shall create 

 this council, we declare it the belief 

 of this meeting that Hood River and 

 adjacent shipping points shall consti- 

 tute one district; that Walla Walla, 

 Milton, Dayton and adjacent points 

 shall constitute another district: tliat 

 all of Southern Idaho shall consti- 

 tute another district: that Spokane, 

 Moscow, Garfield and adjacent points 

 shall constitute another district: that 

 Wenatchee, Cashmere and all up-river 

 points shall constitute another dis- 

 trict; that the entire Yakima Valley 



from Kennewick up shall constitute 

 another district; that Western Oregon 

 shall constitute another district; that 

 the State of Montana shall constitute 

 another district. 



"In creating these arbitrary districts 

 this convention realizes that it is 

 merely providing a framework, but it 

 would recommend in the selection of 

 the first growers' council under the 

 provisions of this call that the mem- 

 bers of the council from each district 

 be as nearly as possible from the 

 principal shipping points in that dis- 

 trict in proportion to the tonnage of 

 each in order that every part of every 

 district may be represented in the 

 growers' council. 



"This convention would make it a 

 condition of the initial formation of 

 the growers' council that the members 

 of the council be selected to thorough- 

 ly represent the growers, without re- 

 gard to the marketing organizations 

 with which they may now be affili- 

 ated. The selection in each case be- 

 ing made in duly and properly called 

 conventions in which all the growers 

 shall be entitled to participate, pro- 

 vided that in those districts where 

 there exists such factional feeling be- 

 tween the members of the different as- 

 sociations, that it is not advisable to 

 make such blanket appointments that 

 the growers marketing their fruit 

 through each marketing association 

 shall be entitled to name at least one 

 of the members of the council. Under 

 no circumstances, however, shall any 

 salaried employes of the existing mar- 

 keting agencies be entitled to member- 

 ship in this growers' council. We re- 

 gard this provision as superfluous, 

 because we are convinced that the 

 growers in each district will see the 

 wisdom of giving the fullest possible 

 representation to all growers of fruit 

 adiliated witli any organization, in- 

 cluding the independents. 



"In adopting this program, this con- 

 vention realizes that it cannot attempt 

 to dictate what shall be the final pro- 

 gram of the growers' council that is 

 created in this way, but expresses 

 this opinion for the purpose of crys- 

 tallizing thought in all of the fruit 

 growing districts in order that there 

 may be brought into existence a grow- 

 ers' council that will thoroughly so 

 represent the growers and that can 

 create an organization that will so rep- 

 resent the growers that the marketing 

 of all fruit can be controlled. We ap- 

 preciate the good work that the by- 

 products committee has done. We 

 also appreciate the importance of tak- 

 ing the fullest advantage of the fine 

 representation present at this meet- 

 ing. In order, therefore, that we may 

 go back to our homes with as near a 

 practical plan in prospect as possible, 

 we recommend that the bv-products 

 committee discuss every feature of 

 tliis i)lan with the heads of existing 

 marketing organizations, and that a 

 joint meeting of the heads of these 

 marketing organizations with this 

 convention be held in this room at 

 1:30 Saturday afternoon, .January 23, 

 for the purpose of endeavoring to add 

 to this expression of opinion. We 

 would further recommend that the ex- 



isting by-products committee be asked 

 to supervise and assist in the questions 

 that will arise in the naming of the 

 initial fruit growers' council, in order 

 that there may be some responsible 

 agency that will create the necessary 

 machinery to bring this organization 

 about." 



Following is the agreement signed 

 by the marketing agencies: 



"Wishing to express their complete 

 accord with any movement designed 

 to promote the marketing of the 

 North Pacific fruits, the undersigned 

 selling agencies or distributors do 

 hereby agree that in case the growers 

 of the four Northwestern States repre- 

 senting in districts and through the 

 affiliated agencies seventy-five per 

 cent of the total tonnage, form a cen- 

 tral governing board for the purpose 

 of regulating the marketing of their 

 products in order to get the best dis- 

 tribution and to prevent the demor- 

 alization of prices, that we will, should 

 we be so requested, join with the 

 said governing board in studying the 

 crop and marketing conditions with 

 a view to helping the growers to es- 

 timate the marketing value of their 

 products, and will furnish to said gov- 

 erning board at the close of each 

 day's business, and sooner in special 

 cases, copies of all quotations, sales 

 reports, sales records, sales returns, 

 inspector's reports, and all letters, tel- 

 egrams and conversations that have 

 a direct bearing on the selling of the 

 fruit. We further agree that, if re- 

 quested by the groewrs so to do, we 

 will remit to such central governing 

 board not to exceed one-half (V2) cent 

 per box on all apples and pears, and 

 one-quarter (%) cent per box on all 

 of the small fruit, that we may market, 

 when the returns are received and 

 made, this amount being deducted as 

 a charge in making settlement for the 

 fruit. 



"This agreement is signed with the 

 express understanding that it is mere- 

 ly a declaration of policy, and that 

 changes and additions will have to be 

 made as found necessary in evolving 

 a full working agreement so as to in- 

 sure success among the parties at in- 

 terest. Yakima Countv Horticulture 

 Association, bv W. M. Nelson: Richev 

 & Gilbert Co.. by H. M. Gilbert, Pres.: 

 Wenatchee Produce Co., by Conrad 

 Rose; Wenatchee Fruit Growers' Asso- 

 ciation, by W. T. Clark: J. Macphee 

 Ferguson; J. E. Shannon: Spokane 

 Valley Growers' Union, by Edward 

 Pierce: North Pacific Fruit Dist., by 

 H. F. Davidson, Pres., by .1. H. Rob- 

 bins, Genl. Mgr.; Northwestern Fruit 

 Exchange, by Reginald H. Parsons, 

 Pres., by W. F. Gwin, Genl. Mgr. (ac- 

 cording to reservations made in min- 

 utes of this meeting) ; Wright Fruit 

 Company, by J. Howard Wright: Po- 

 mona Ranch, by .1. L. Dumas; .Arcadia 

 Valley Growers' .Association, by A. G. 

 Craig, Pres." 



The Fruit Growers' Council met a.s per 

 tlie call at Tacoma. Permanent officers 

 and committees were elected, names and 

 .addresses of whom will be found else- 

 where in this issue. 



