146 



once, and there was a race which was won by the "light 

 weights" arriving first. More storage rooms were inspect- 

 ed and a mountain of peach baskets was noticed overhead. 

 More "fruit growers' cigars" were indulged in and on 

 passing out to the waiting autos every one helped himself 

 to an orange and received as a parting souvenir a silver 

 spoon showing the Municipal Group. : 



President Oakley of the Bay State Storage Co. whisked 

 us away to his fine fire proof plant where again efficiency 

 had first call. Everything under the sun can be stored here 

 at a minimum of handling, etc., — from a box of needles to 

 the largest machinery. There were individual rooms for 

 household furniture, a specially warmed room for pianos, 

 auto storage, carriages and floor after floor of farm machin- 

 ery and parts for repairs — each in its special bin and in- 

 stantly available when a rush order comes in. Separate 

 storage each for flour, fertilizer, oil and immense elevators 

 making each floor a "street" floor. A spur track runs 

 right into the building and a trolley siding adds its share 

 there. The very large new concrete stable and garage was 

 another model in efficiency and completeness and showed 

 careful study of every detail in planning it. It is self evi- 

 dent that Mr. Oakley is an expert on transportation and 

 knows the fine points which obviate all possible jarring 

 during transit. 



AT THE HALL 



We were whisked back to the Auditorium and as many 

 were obliged to leave soon after noon the President immed- 

 iately called the gathering to order in the Mahogany Room 

 and introduced Mr. Alfred W. Otis of the commission house 

 of that name in Boston. Mr. Otis said that the fraud in 

 packing was so common in years past that such a thing as 

 absolute confidence between grower and commission man 

 was almost unknown. Some growers even gathered the 

 idea that the commission men winked at the -practice. Mr. 

 Otis said he wanted to clear up that delusion at once and 

 most emphatically. What the commission men do advise is 

 that packers choose the most highly colored fruit for the 

 facing layers, but every other apple in the barrel should be 



