THE VALUE OF CO-OPERATION. 



of IJurlington were described by Mr. 

 A. W. Peart. " A small number of the frnit 

 growers in my district," said Mr. Peart. 

 "' have cooperated in a general way. By 

 doing so we find we can buy our supplies 

 much cheaper and also obtam better ship- 

 ping rates. Each individual shipper places 

 his name on his own shipments in addition 

 to which they are branded with the common 

 brand of our association, which is simply h 

 number. The buyers in Great Britain make 

 separate reports in regard to the prices real- 

 ized by each man's shipments. In this way 

 we are able to keep track of the amount due 

 each grower. All our fruit is shipped in 

 boxes and we find we make 50 cents to one 

 dollar per barrel more by shipping in this 

 way. Our boxes average four to the barrel. 



" We find that it is cheaper to handle our 

 fruit in this way on account of a saving in 

 the cost of labor. In sorting and grading 

 apples, women are able to do as much and in 

 some cases more work than men and at one 

 half the wages. The women will not handle 

 large packages and were we to use large 

 boxes we would have to employ men, which 

 would cost more." 



Question: "What is the size of your 

 boxes ?" 



Mr. Peart: "Nine by 12 Dy 18 inche- 

 inside measurement. We have found this 

 size works well as our growers obtain 

 due credit for their shipments." 



Question: "Is there anything binding 

 in your association ?" 



Mr. Peart : " No, only our honesty. If 

 we had a central packing house we would 

 endeavor to arrange so that each man's name 

 would continue to appear on his consign- 

 ments of fruit." 



Question : " Do you think it would be 

 possible to grade your fruit to the satisfac- 

 tion of your members?" 



Mr. Peart : " No, that would be reach- 

 ing the ideal." 



Question: "If you found a man was 

 shipping poor fruit is there any way in which 

 you could prevent his using your brand ?" 



Mr. Peart : " We are very careful when 

 taking in members. We will not allow a 

 man to join our association unless we know 

 he ships good fruit. The price each grower 

 receives is the best safeguard we have that 

 he will ship good fruit. We find it is a good 

 one. 



" Wlien the market in the Old Country 's 

 not satisfactory we sometimes arrange to 

 have our fruit stored. On some occasions 

 fruit has been stored for some months. Our 

 system works out well for late pears suitable 

 for export. We have shipped without cold 

 storage and have found that the pears ar- 

 rived in good condition." 



Question : " Do you send a man to Great 

 Britain to watch your interests ?" 



Mr. Peart : " No, we simply consign our 

 fruit to commission men." 



Question : " Could not growers place a 

 man in Great Britain to watch their inter- 

 ests?" 



Mr. Peart: "Such an arrangement 

 would be very difificult. The British firms, 

 handling Canadian fruit, have been in the 

 business for a great many years and are 

 firmly established. Most of them have 

 numerous connections in other cities and 

 know how much credit they can give their 

 agents and how long it is safe to let their 

 credit run. Were growers to try to com- 

 pete against these firms we would find it al- 

 most impossible to meet their opposition. 

 Such a man, however, might be of great 

 value in watching the prices at which fruit 

 was sold, etc," 



Mr. H, W. Dawson, commission mer- 

 chant, Toronto : " I have made a study 

 of this cooperative question and have 

 reached the conclusion that apples handled 

 through central packing houses with a com- 

 mon brand will do more to improve the trade 

 than anything else." 



