MARKETING FRUITS 
XVI. 
It will be found expedient to follow 
the California plan, in matter of district 
organization. There various locals are 
grouped together, within convenient geo- 
graphical lines. Each group constitutes 
a district, with an organization com- 
posed of representatives from each local 
within the district. 
The principal functions of the district 
organization should be control of all mat- 
ters within its boundaries, relating to in- 
spection, picking, grading and packing 
fruit; co-operative purchase of supplies; 
choice of directors for the central ex- 
change, and adjustment of any disputes 
arising between central exchanges and 
local associations. 
District Organization 
XVII. A Council of Representatives 
Provision should be made whereby, 
upon questions of sufficient importance, 
voting strength of the directors of the 
central exchange could be proportionate 
to the relative shipping tonnage of their 
respective districts. This could be ac- 
complished by providing an auxiliary 
board, said board to be composed of one 
representative chosen by each district or- 
ganization, and to be Known as the Coun- 
cil of Representatives. This council 
would be called together only when the 
board of directors of the central exchange 
should, upon request of two of its mem- 
bers, demand the submission to said 
council of any specific question before 
the board. When called together, the vot- 
ing strength of each member of said 
council would be a number of votes 
equal to the number of carloads of fruit 
shipped by all growers then affiliating 
under the district organization represent- 
ed by him during the last preceding sea- 
son. Any decision of said council would 
be final and binding on the directorate of 
the central exchange. 
This plan is a feature of the Cali- 
fornia system. It is interesting to note, 
however, that, while it affords necessary 
security to larger districts, if conditions 
should require it, this council has not 
been called into service during the last 
six years. 
1271 
Need for Improving System of 
Distribution 
I have thus outlined principles, the 
application of which I regard as funda- 
mental to successful co-operation. I ac- 
knowledge my indebtedness for valuable 
Suggestions to the able and comprehen- 
sive article on ‘Co-operation in Handling 
and Marketing Fruit,” written by Mr. G. 
Harold Powell, and appearing in this 
section. Several of them are advo- 
cated in the report of the Committee of 
Eleven, an organization working in 
Washington and Oregon for the estab- 
lishment of a central selling agency, and 
of which I am a member. That there is 
need of improvement in our system of 
distribution can hardly be denied. In 
face of the fact that increasing produc- 
tion demands increased consumption, 
high cost of living is curtailing con- 
sumption. To meet necessities of con- 
sumers, prices must be reduced. Shall 
this be accomplished by reducing the 
farmer’s returns? Already he is receiv- 
ing a reduced proportion of the retail 
price, although his expenditures for liv- 
ing and labor have increased. Evidently 
consumers’ cost can be lowered only by 
reducing the aggregate of tolls for car- 
riage, insurance, brokerage, commission 
and retailing. 
As aptly put in an editorial of the 
Oregonian, “Middlemen bear the price 
paid to producer and bull the price paid 
by consumer.” 
I do not preach a crusade against mid- 
dlemen. We should not expect or wish 
entirely to eliminate them. They are 
average citizens, and are making the most 
of their opportunities, as the rest of us 
are trying to do. We are, nevertheless, 
justifiable in seeking to dispense with 
their services, whenever possible, and 
to hold their charges to a reasonable 
basis, always. Our products pass through 
too many hands before they reach 
the consumer. This again means 
waste—a waste that works against two 
classes, the producer and the consumer. 
As the Oregonian well puts it, “only 
the middleman profits by the confusion.” 
There is little doubt that a central selling 
