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TWENTY-NINTH FRUIT-GROWERS' CONVENTION. 



circulars have been most favorable to the proposed plan, up to date 

 26,614 acres of land having been offered for settlement in this manner. 

 The original plan of our committee, which contemplated securing young 

 men from the agricultural districts of the Eastern States to assist fruit- 

 growers in their operations, could only at the best be a temporary 

 solution of the help problem. The young men thus obtained would in 

 all likelihood drift to various parts of the State and would not become 

 permanent residents of any one district. 



The plan of securing men with families and locating them in homes of 

 their own is a far better solution of the help problem than any other plan 

 that has been submitted to our committee. In some districts of the 

 State this feature is not entirely novel, as it has been tried in a small 

 way and has proven satisfactory both to the growers and to the home- 

 seekers. 



During the year our committee has received from fruit-growers? 

 packers, canners, and others, applications for 9,301 people to work. 

 These requests came from all parts of the State, and have usually been 

 for the months of July, August, September, and October, although in 

 many instances help has been desired for much longer periods, and 

 occasionally for the entire year. 



The records of our office show that we have absolutely placed in posi- 

 tions on orchards, vineyards, and fruit-canning factories 917 people 

 from the Eastern States. This result has been accomplished with an 

 outlay of $3,500. This made the actual expense of placing Eastern 

 people in positions in California less than $4 per capita. We know of 

 many instances in which people have come to this State and secured 

 positions through the effect of our advertising and the efforts of our 

 travelers, but as their names have not actually gone through our office 

 we do not include them in the number we have placed at work. We 

 therefore believe that the result of our effort has been much larger than 

 our figures show, and we also feel that our work will be productive of 

 much desirable immigration during the coming year and possibly for 

 years to come. 



The ten gentlemen who went East at the instance of this committee 

 were supplied with funds for their actual traveling expenses, but devoted 

 their time gratuitously for the good of the cause. We feel that the 

 fruit-growers of California are under many obligations to these gentle- 

 men, who have so well and faithfully worked for our interests in the 

 Eastern States. 



Unfortunately, two of our travelers, Mr. Kelts and Mr. Murray, were 

 in serious railroad accidents in the East. Mr. Kelts was disabled for 

 several daj^s, and his work was seriously interfered with from the result 

 of the accident. Mr. Murray was severely injured, and for a time his 

 recovery seemed improbable. After several weeks in a hospital he was 

 enabled to return home. 



