TWENTY-NINTH FRUIT-GROWERS' CONVENTION. 



239 



VICE-PRESIDENT McINTOSH. Well, Mr. White, one point was 

 in regard to a better and more systematic plan of distribution, a plan 

 to be adopted by growers to prevent the middlemen from profiting by 

 extortionate practices as between themselves and consumers, and Mr. 

 Kearney used the illustration of the "sticker" on packages of seeded 

 raisins. He has recapitulated as to that method, and stated to this 

 Convention that that simple plan enabled the directors of the Raisin- 

 Growers' Association at the time he was a member of the board of 

 directors to dispose of a large amount of raisins on hand after the 

 Christmas and New Year's trade, at the time of the annual election in 

 April. To my mind it is one of the most convincing features of that 

 entire proposition; but since you agree that there may be better meth- 

 ods, you may admit the virtue of the "sticker" proposition to help 

 dispose of "hold-overs." 



MR. WHITE. Mr.. Chairman, now that I have been enlightened as 

 to one of the points that has been brought up, I will say that the infor- 

 mation which our board of directors has is that the putting of a 

 " sticker," as they call it, on the outside of each package of seeded 

 raisins did not enable the Association to dispose of any more raisins 

 than had been disposed of prior to the time the "sticker" was put on; 

 that, in fact, it was a drawback to the sale of seeded raisins. I was 

 not a member of the board of directors during the year that plan was 

 'adopted, and that is the only year since the Association was organ- 

 ized that I have not been a director thereof. That year Mr. Kearney 

 was a director and the president of the Association. He had full sway. 

 That is the only year in the history of the Association that we have 

 had a short crop. In 1891 we only had 74,000,000 pounds of raisins, 

 whereas this year, though I have heretofore stated the amount to be 

 only 110,000,000 pounds, I have since learned that there is a crop of 

 from 115,000,000 to 118,000,000 pounds. I stated the other day that 

 if we did not produce more than 100,000,000 or 110,000,000 pounds of 

 raisins I thought they could be marketed; also, that I thought it was better 

 to discourage the further planting of raisin vines until we improved 

 our markets or until we could devise a scheme whereby we can dispose 

 of our product at remunerative prices. I said that it was more profit- 

 able for us to produce 100,000,000 pounds of raisins and sell them at a 

 price that would net the grower 4 cents a pound than it would be to 

 produce 200,000,000 pounds of raisins and sell them at 2 cents a pound 

 net to the grower, and I stay by it. I still think I am correct on that 

 proposition. 



MR. KEARNEY. The gentleman says that he was informed that 

 the application of the "sticker" was of no benefit in the marketing of 

 the raisins, but that in fact it was a detriment. He therefore does not 

 know it of his own knowledge, but goes on information. I presume his 



