-4- 



"Closing Boxes - Reducing the number of staples used per box by shifting 

 to wider and longer types would speed up work and reduce costs of material. 

 A few pennies saved here and there add up to dollars. In box make-up, wire 

 stitchers are more economical than tape or glue. The difference is in labor 

 requirement. 



"Summary - In conclusion I will make some general observations. There 

 is an unfortunate tendency for packing sheds to be an after thought to storage 

 construction. Sheds in general seem to be appendages that take all sorts of 

 shape with little regard to product flow or labor efficiency. In planning 

 layout remember that a straight line is the shortest distance between two points. 

 Proper lighting is probably the easiest and least expensive major improvement you 

 can make. Inadequate lighting exists in 95 per cent of our sheds. It results 

 in poor grading and contributes tremendously to worker fatigue. Light walls 

 and bright lights can serve to change the whole attitude of your work crews. 

 In general insufficient attention is given to worker comfort and position. 

 Management places too much emphasis on gimmicks and mechanical aids and grossly 

 neglects instruction in method. Management has a tendency to constantly change 

 equipment and crew organization in the hit-and-miss search for lower cost methods, 

 This summer we found two houses across the road from each other and each was 

 changing his layout and equipment to emulate the fellow across the road. 

 Such changes add to the cost of packing apples." 



I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I 



P.A.C.A. COMPLIANCE 



Any person buying and selling fruits and vegetables in lots of one ton or 

 more, which move or "might move" in interstate commerce, except buying in small 

 lots at infrequent intervals for re-sale at retail, needs to become familiar 

 with the provisions of the Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act. 



Any person selling through or to merchants, dealers or brokers covered by 

 the act also needs to be familiar with the provisions of the P.A.C.A. 



The following excerpt from an article by R. L. Childress of the Federal 

 Extension Service, printed in the Extension Service Review contains suggestions 

 for the elimination of unnecessary expense. 



CUTTING AN AVOIDABLE COST 

 R. L. Childress, Federal Extension Service 



"When U. S. Department of Agriculture inspectors find produce in packages 

 marked in violation of the Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act (PACA), the 

 dealer is required to remove or black out the markings, repackage or regrade the 

 products, and otherwise comply with the provisions of the Act. This is costly. 



"In addition, the dealer risks the cost of legal action and can lose his 

 PACA license if he offers or sells misbranded or misrepresented produce in inter- 

 state or foreign commerce. And he may pass back to the shipper the costs incurred 

 in obliterating incorrect marks, repacking, or regrading to designated grade marks. 



