rAFJFORNIA RAISIN ASSOCIATION. 4>)1 



banking accommodations for advances to their members; 

 these, consequently, were compelled, one by one, to go to the 

 commission packers for financial relief, which, of course, 

 involved taking their business away from their own packing- 

 house, leaving the burden of supporting it to a smaller number 

 than was anticipated, and making more or less bad feeling 

 between those who "deserted" and those who stood by, and 

 having the further result that, with the diminished pack, the 

 cost of packing was more than was expected, which, with the 

 interest and depreciation, and the more or less bad manage- 

 ment incident to new undertakings, made the outcome, in 

 many cases, very unsatisfactory. With freedem from debt, 

 and the improvement in management certain to come willi 

 experience, all should have worked through, and thus taken 

 the first step toward the general union of all raisin producers, 

 which was desired; but, weighted down by debt, and the 

 neighborhood quarrels which were its result, nearly all the 

 cooperative packing-houses gradually fell into the hands of 

 the commission packers by sale or lease. During the season 

 of 1894 but two of the concerns were able to run independent 

 of commission packers, as was intended, of which only one 

 sold its own pack through its own agencies. 'By 1897 cooper- 

 ative selling had disappeared, and there was little, if my, 

 cooperative packing. 



The selling of the product, as has been pointed out, is an 

 entirely distinct business from packing it. As the supply year 

 by year more exceeded the demand, the obtaining the orders 

 required more energy and skill, and more expert judgment 

 was required in determining when and at what price to sell, 

 and the management of the sales, in unskilled hands, was not 

 always wise. For the most part, the conduct of the sales was 

 placed in the hands of commission houses, usually in San 

 Francisco, who could obtain the necessary advances, but some 

 societies employed some of their own members, sending them 

 east to solicit orders, which was a good plan, if they were sure 

 to retain the services of those for whose business education 

 they were paying. Upon the whole, however, the mercantile 

 ability available in their own membership was not usually 



