1286 
tion to cancel. It provides for liquidated 
damages to be enforced against the grow- 
er who violates his contract. The con- 
tract also authorizes the association to 
withhold from fruit returns all associa- 
tion charges and all amounts due for 
supplies furnished the member. 
Federal Plan 
The association is organized on the 
federal plan first worked out so success- 
fully by the California Fruit Growers’ 
Exchange. A somewhat close analogy 
can be drawn between it and our Ameri- 
ean form of government, which begins 
with the town or county, passes up into 
the state and ends by federating the 
states into one national government. In 
the association, the units are the district 
associations, which are all brought to- 
gether and federated in this association, 
commonly known as the “Central”; or, 
since the organization of the North Pa- 
cific Fruit Distributors, as the “Sub-cen- 
tral,’ Again this association is federated 
with the other districts of the Northwest 
in the distributors, which thus becomes 
the “Central.” 
The district associations are all sep- 
arately incorporated under the “Lodge 
Law” and are independent, self-governing 
organizations, without capital stock, and 
under the terms of their charters obliged 
to do business only for their own mem- 
bers and to do it without profit; they are 
thus, like the sub-central, purely co-oper- 
ative. It is the plan of the association to 
strengthen and build up the district or- 
ganizations into well-governed, business- 
like bodies, independent and thoroughly 
competent to care in the best possible 
manner for local affairs. In pursuance 
of this policy, the trained experts in 
charge of sub-central’s departments are 
always at the service of the districts for 
counsel and guidance, and responsibili- 
ties are placed upon them wherever prac- 
ticable. Community interests are cared 
for—illustrated by the fact that the asso- 
ciation does the district business through 
the local bank authorized by the district. 
Government 
The growers hold their membership 
immediately in the district associations, 
ENCYCLOPEDIA OF PRACTICAL HORTICULTURE 
naturally choosing the one whose ship- 
ping facilities best serve their individual 
purpose. The members elect the trustees, 
each member having one vote which he 
may cast either in person or by proxy; 
the trustees elect the officers, appoint the 
manager and of course constitute the 
active governing body of the district. 
The trustees elect from their number 
two “representatives to  sub-central.” 
These representatives from each district 
constitute the board of trustees of the 
association, in whose hands rests the en- 
tire management of its affairs. These 
trustees elect the usual officers and ap- 
point the general manager, and other 
necessary executive officers. As the 
board of trustees is a large and some- 
what expensive and unwieldy body, it 
elects an executive committee of seven 
members, consisting of the president and 
six other trustees fairly representative of 
the different divisions of the valley, 
which meets at least every month and 
constitutes the every-day business end 
of the management so far as the growers 
are concerned. The members of the ex- 
ecutive committee receive their expenses 
and a per diem of $5. 
Functions of the District 
All purely local affairs are cared for 
by the districts; this includes warehous- 
ing, consolidating less than carload ship- 
ments by different members, and distribu- 
tion of supplies. The districts may, and 
many of them do, add to these necessary 
things such other helpful activities as 
they think wise under their local condi- 
tions. Under their charters they are per- 
mitted to undertake any co-operative en- 
terprise for their communities that the 
members wish. By this principle of home 
rule local interest and pride is aroused 
and the individual members are kept in 
closer touch with their organization. The 
settlement of all local issues is then left 
to the local growers. 
Functions of “Sub-central” 
Broadly speaking, the sub-central re- 
ceives the fruit when loaded and has 
charge of shipping, marketing and col- 
lecting; it consolidates less than carload 
shipments from the districts; it buys all 
