in the Michigan fruit belt. These obser- 

 vations and studies revealed the success- 

 ful operation of storage facilities by 

 other cooperatives. 



Reports of F. G. Anderson, secretary- 

 treasurer; Colvis, and Howard Swartz, 

 sales manager, presented at the annual 

 meeting showed excellent progress in all 

 departments, both of the Exchange and 

 its subsidiary, the Fruit Exchange Supply 

 Company. 



The balance sheet as presented by 

 Anderson revealed a net income for the 

 Exchange in 1943 of $11,716.42. New 

 worth increased to $45,301.06. 



The Fruit Exchange handled 238,083 

 packages of fruit and vegetables during 

 1943 as compared with 161,000 in 1942. 

 This Illinois produce was sold in 25 

 states and gross returns amounted to 

 $788,441.36. Volume goals set up at 

 the beginning of 1943 were surpassed 

 or equalled in every case except straw- 

 berries, where a short crop occurred. 

 One of the developments of the year was 

 the increase in miscellaneous items, 

 such as spinach, green beans and pears. 

 As an additional service to fruit and 

 vegetable growers, the Fruit Exchange 

 has obtained the 

 sen'ices of Fred 

 Culp of Mound City 

 who will serve as 

 field man. He is a 

 native of Southern 

 Illinois and has 

 spent nearly all of 

 his life in the area. 

 Recently he has 

 traveled several 

 states for a food 

 products company. 

 Volume of business handled by the 

 Exchange Supply Company amounted to 

 $152,000 in 1943 as compared with 

 $81,000 in 1942 and $61,000 in 1941. 

 Business already transacted this year in- 

 dicates that a new high volume will be 

 attained in 1944. Patronage dividends 

 distributed at the annual meeting 

 amounted to $8000, almost double the 

 patronage of $4200 in 1942. 



Growth in the volume handled by the 

 Fruit Exchange in 1943 is accounted for 

 by the increasing number of growers 

 who have decided to use its facilities 

 and to market their fruit cooperatively. 



In addition the entire crop of the 

 Edgar County Strawberry Growers Asso- 

 ciation was marketed through the Ex- 

 change, the Tri-County Association has 

 actively cooperated with the Exchange, 

 and a close relationship has been estab- 

 lished with the Murphysboro Fruit 

 Growers Association. 



Lawrence Drake, director of the re- 

 search marketing department of the 

 Kroger Company and guest speaker, pre- 

 dicted that one of the postwar trends in 



Fred Culp 



fruit marketing would be consumer pack- 

 aging, with the grower packing his 

 fruit at the orchard or packing shed, and 

 the consumer buying the fruit in that 

 same package. 



"Have a brand, and sell it to the con- 

 sumer as a hallmark of quality," he 

 urged. "Make grading pay you by fol- 

 lowing it through to the consumer." 



Drake also reported on the experi- 

 ments conducted in cooperation with the 

 Exchange, and the U. of I. on the 

 marketing of tree ripened peaches last 

 year. He reported that tests showed 

 that consumers wanted riper peaches and 

 were willing to pay more for them than 

 less ripe fruit. 



Alvin O. Eckert, Belleville, was re- 

 elected president of the Exchange; 

 Talmage Defrees, lAA vice-president, 

 was re-elected vice-president of the Ex- 

 change; F. G. Anderson, Anna, was re- 

 elected secretary-treasurer. 



Three directors were elected at the 

 annual meeting: Arthur Foreman, Pitts- 

 field, and H. E. Hartley, Centralia, were 

 elected to succeed themselves for three- 

 year terms, while Trevor Jeffries, Texico, 

 was elected to succeed Nelson Cummins, 

 Dix, who has been in the U. S. Navy 

 for two years. Other directors of the 

 Exchange are Chester R. Boland, Paris; 

 Robert Endicott, Villa Ridge, and F. D. 

 McGuire, Makanda. 



Fred Blackburn, Marion county, was 

 named to the board as farm advisers' 

 representative succeeding E. A. Bier- 

 baum. Union county farm adviser. A 

 new farm advisers' representative is 

 named each year. 



Farmers Favor Plans 



For Health Facilities 



Rural people generally are in favor of 

 the establishment of a plan for medical 

 care whereby persons of moderate in- 

 comes can budget their health expenses. 



This was the opinion voiced by the 

 majority of those in attendance at the 

 National Rural Health Conference spon- 

 sored by the Farm Foundation April 1 1 

 to 13 in Chicago. 



Attending the conference were repre- 

 sentatives of the major farm or- 

 ganizations who met with represent- 

 atives of the hospitals, medical pro- 

 fession and government agencies. Dr. 

 Henry C. Taylor, director of the Farm 

 Foundation, stated that the first reauest 

 for such a conference was received from 

 the American Farm Bureau Federation. 



It was generally agreed at the confer- 

 ence that the health facilities for rural 

 areas are not equal to those available 

 in the cities. This is partly due to the 

 low income of the people in many rural 



areas and in part to the sparseness of 

 population in other areas. Both of these 

 factors make it difficult for farm people 

 to obtain adequate hospital and medical 

 services. 



It was recognized by the majority at 

 the conference that it appeared that some 

 form of governmental aid, or equalization 

 was necessary to provide proper medical 

 and hospital care for people in the low 

 income classes, and also for those in mod- 

 erate circumstances in the areas of sparse 

 population. 



Farm organizations' representatives 

 generally held that the local governmental 

 units, rather than national government, 

 should provide the necessary public as- 

 sistance. 



A large scale federal program was op- 

 posed on the basis that the controls 

 would be in Washington rather than with 

 the people concerned, and that too much 

 of the money would be lost during its 

 journey from the local tax payers to 

 Washington and back to the local com- 

 munities. 



Among the Farm and Home Bureau 

 representatives attending the conference 

 were Mrs. Stanley Castle, Mrs. Raymond 

 Sayre, Mrs. Charles W. Sewell, Paul 

 Mathias, and L. H. Simerl. 



OPA Annonnces 1944 



Canning Sugar Setnp 



Sugar for home canning will be 

 made available to consumers at the 

 same rate as last year and in much 

 the same way, according to OPA. 



As previously announced, five 

 pounds of sugar for home canning may 

 be bought with sugar stamp 40 in 

 Ration Book Four. The remainder — a 

 maximum of 20 pounds of sugar per 

 person • — will be granted on appli- 

 cation to local ration boards. 



Ration boards will mail upon re- 

 quest application Form R-323. In some 

 communities these applications may be 

 secured at the post office. The appli- 

 cation must supply the names of the 

 persons for whom sugar is requested, 

 including the name of the person who 

 is making the application, and the 

 number of pounds of sugar the family 

 needs for canning and making fruit 

 spreads. 



Spare stamp 37 from Ration Book 

 Four must be attached to the applica- 

 tion form for each person applying for 

 sugar. After the ration board approves 

 the application, it will mail coupons 

 or certificates for the amount of sugar 

 requested. 



While there is a limit of 25 pounds 

 per person for canning, no restrictions 

 are put on the amount of sugar that 

 may be used for each quart of finished 

 fruit as in former years. 



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