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TWENTY-NINTH FRUIT-GROWERS' CONVENTION. 



the Sacramento River suffered a great loss in empty boxes, which were 

 either not returned by the commission men or lost by the transporta- 

 tion companies. This year "The Pact" took up the matter with the 

 above-named parties in San Francisco; a new system of handling the 

 empty boxes and baskets was inaugurated, and as a result very few 

 boxes were lost, and one grower reports that this season he is gainer by 

 one hundred boxes. In explanation of this it may be said that these 

 one hundred boxes were some which he had lost the year before and 

 which had been in the hands of the commission men and jobbers for 

 nearly a year. 



Another grievance which the farmers on the Sacramento River had, 

 was that the Southern Pacific mail boats did not leave San Francisco on 

 schedule time; some of the subordinate officials being anxious to wait 

 a little overtime, to take on more freight; then the United States mail, 

 which is carried by the Southern Pacific boats, was not distributed in 

 a manner expeditious and convenient to the farmers. "The Pact" sent 

 a committee, which had a conference with the general manager of the 

 Southern Pacific Company, and stated their grievances. As a result the 

 boats now leave exactly on schedule time. At our suggestion the 

 Southern Pacific Company took up the matter of the mail with the 

 postal authorities, and as a result, after December 1st we are to have 

 mail agents on the boats, who will distribute the mail from station to 

 station. Other examples could be brought forward, but we think that 

 these are enough to show that by standing together something can be 

 done. As individuals the farmers would not have been able to accom 

 plish any of the above-named results. 



There are a great many questions which are of importance to all the 

 farmers of the State; others are of a local nature. The plan which we 

 have in mind would be to have small local sub-organizations of "The 

 Pact" distributed throughout the State. Whenever a local question 

 came up, it would be attended to by the local organization; questions 

 which affected the whole State would be taken up by the head organi- 

 zation, which naturally would be situated in San Francisco. These 

 local organizations would be in a position to get exact estimates of the 

 crop reports in their different localities, and by sending these estimates 

 to the head organization, they could be computed and the head office 

 would then be in a position to know almost exactly how much of any 

 particular product would be put on the market and what. price should 

 be received for the same. Thus the expense of getting this information 

 would be nominal. This item alone would be of incalculable value to 

 the farmers, and it is something that they have never had before. 



There are now no end of abuses which are not corrected, simply 

 because the farmers are not organized and do not enter an organized 

 protest. Most every one knows that in the business of shipping fruit to 



