SELLING AGENCIES 195 



the freight on lemons to $1.50 a box, thus absorbing all 

 the benefits of the tariff. 



The exchanges protested this action and immediately 

 started a hearing before the Interstate Commerce Com- 

 mission. Upon all of the lemons shipped to the East, 

 the extra freight had to be paid, but this was done under 

 protest and receipts taken for every package. The legal 

 department fought this case through the court and in 

 the Interstate Commerce Commission for two years. It 

 was finally settled in favor of the fruit exchange. As 

 a result of this one decision $343,744 was returned to the 

 growers from the railroads on the excess freight for the 

 two years. Only strong, well-organized exchanges doing 

 a large business could afford the expense of fighting a 

 continental shipping organization. 



Field Organization Department has to do entirely with 

 the producing side of the fruit. It looks after the in- 

 terests of the producer. It has experts to advise the 

 members regarding the care of the orchard, pruning, 

 etc. And when it comes to the packing of the fruit it 

 supervises this so as to insure uniformity in both grade 

 and pack. The field organization department is one 

 of the oldest departments and one of the most necessary. 

 It was early found that unless packs were uniform and 

 put up in a systematic way the buyers had no assur- 

 ance that the label on one package would mean the same 

 as the label on another. Hence the development of this 

 department was found necessary in order to insure uni- 

 formity in the fruit, and to enable the organization to 

 guarantee its pack. 



Advertising Department is more or less of a recent 

 venture. Exchanges set aside a certain sum of money 



