Organization of an Association 75 



special purpose should confine its efforts in that direction. 

 A distributing organization, for example, cannot handle 

 the public policy questions that affect the industry outside 

 of the marketing problems without more or less friction 

 with other similar organizations. There is usually a 

 strong rivalry among these associations, and it is difficult 

 to secure the cooperation of all of the organizations in an 

 industry in handling a general question which affects 

 them all alike. If an attempt is made to handle a public 

 policy question through any one of the existing distrib- 

 uting organizations, an agricultural industry is almost 

 sure to fail in an effort to meet and solve the transporta- 

 tion questions, the state and national legislative questions 

 and other public policy matters that affect it. 



The Citrus Protective League of California 



The California citrus industry has formed a volun- 

 tary organization known as the Citrus Protective League 

 to handle the public policy questions that affect the in- 

 dustry as a whole. A brief discussion of this League 

 will indicate the opportunity for organization along these 

 lines. The League represents about 90 per cent of the 

 shippers and shipping organizations in all parts of the 

 state in handling such questions as railroad rates and 

 transportation problems, customs tariffs and other gov- 

 ernmental relations, state and federal legislation that 

 applies directly to the citrus business, and all other ques- 

 tions of a general nature that affect the upbuilding of the 

 industry, except the marketing of the fruit. 



The citrus industry of California represents $150,- 

 000,000 to $200,000,000 capital invested. Ten to fifteen 



