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TWENTY-NINTH FRUIT-GROWERS' CONVENTION. 



AFTERNOON SESSION-FOURTH DAY. 



Friday, December 11, 1903. 

 The Convention was called to order at 2 o'clock p. m. Vice-President 

 Mcintosh in the chair. 



VICE-PRESIDENT MclNTOSH. Members of the Convention, we 

 shall vary the program for the afternoon to the extent of hearing Mr. 

 G. S. Thurman's paper upon "The Growers' Co-operative Agency," a 

 deferred topic. It has been carried over for the past two days. Will 

 the Secretary read it, please? (Paper read by Secretary.) 



THE GROWERS' CO-OPERATIVE AGENCY. 



By G. S. THURMAX. of Sax Feaxcisco. 



The Growers' Co-operative Agency was opened in San Francisco June 

 1, 1902, by the Sacramento River Co-operators, a co-operative body 

 formed under the law of 1895. and was in response to a general and 

 pressing need for relief from many abuses which had grown up ampng 

 the commission merchants of San Francisco. Returns were not made 

 in accordance with sales, charges were excessive, combinations were 

 formed among the various houses by which they would agree to return 

 a common price regardless of sales, and many other important matters, 

 all of Avhich helped to show the shipper that his only means of relief 

 was by marketing his own goods. 



After careful consideration it was decided to organize an agency 

 which would afford every producer in the State who chose to market 

 his goods in San Francisco, an opportunity to join in its support and 

 management, and this opportunity is still open. 



From the start the movement met with very decided opposition on 

 the part of the commission merchants of San Francisco. For the first 

 two months the Agency was subject to a boycott by the wholesale 

 houses, which refused to buy from or sell to it; but in spite of this we 

 conducted a successful business, selling our stock to the retail fruit 

 dealers at good prices. 



On August 1, 1902, a new move was made; the retailers were told that 

 if they dealt with The Growers' Co-operative Agency they could buy of 

 no other commission house in San Francisco, and this order was 

 enforced in a very systematic manner. That its enforcement was pos- 

 sible was due to the fact that in order to conduct a retail fruit store the 

 dealer must carry a variety of goods which it is impossible for one com- 

 mission house to supply. For example, bananas are usually imported 



