13 



Out contentioTi lias been this: That if apples ^ye^e 

 packed in accordance with the Federal law, then they were 

 exempt from the provisions of our law, because, of course. 

 a state statute has got to give way Avhen it conflicts with a 

 Federal statute; but, in order to be exempt from jurisdiction 

 of our laws apples have got to be packed in accordance with 

 the Federal law, not in violation of the Federal law. There 

 is a difference of opinion on that question, and people who 

 had the other opinion thought that they could pack any- 

 thing under the Federal law. That is, they could pack any 

 liind of apple and pack it under the Federal law and we 

 would not have a right to look at it, even. 



Now, who is right we do not yet know. We tried a 

 case on those facts on the 20th of last December, but we 

 have not yet had a decision. 



We have found the Apple Grading law is bringing 

 about this result in some instances; namely that buyers are 

 beginning to specify Massachusetts standard grades when 

 they buy apples. 



The reason for it is this : They know that if the apples 

 don't come up to the specifications that they can call in the 

 state inspection service as sort of umpire, and it can be 

 decided whether those apples come up to contract or not. 

 I think that is one of the principal advantages that this 

 question of grading is going to have. It makes a grade 

 that is a standard and everybody knows has certain fixed 

 requirements so that buyers and sellers can, when they are 

 buying by written contract, simply state ".A-grade apples" 

 and no further description is necessary. In a number of 

 cases we have been called in this year to decide whether 

 apples came up to specification. I think that method of 

 buying will be developed considerably further. 



In going over the territory in Bristol County down in 

 South-Eastexn Massachusetts this year, we found a section 

 there had a large consuming population. I think the four 

 cities, alone, in Bristol County have a population of over 

 300,000, but comparatively few Massachusetts apples are sold 



