PROCEEDINGS OF NINETEENTH FRUIT GROWERS' CONVENTION. 101 



There is no room for the discussion of any other question which would 

 conflict with cooperation, and we would deem it time lost to consider 

 questions other than those which brought us together. The great diffi- 

 culty is to work in harmony. 



Mr. Adams: In regard to the main organization in this State, it was 

 found necessary to rely on private contributions. I am ready at any 

 time to contribute to this movement, and will be very much pleased to 

 meet the people, and so will my friends Mr. Righter and Mr. Walton. 



Mr. Righter: I have heard your speech and must say it sounds very 

 well, but the question is, who will help to pay the unavoidable expense 

 of organizing? Let me tell you of the way one broker of my acquaint- 

 ance raises money. Possibly it will be a pointer to you. In one instance 

 he bought several carloads of fruit, and those of whom he bought it kept 

 dunning and dunning him for the pay, but it was weeks after he received 

 the money for this fruit before he paid them. Later, probably a month 

 and a half, he had shipped probably twenty other cars, all of which 

 were obtained in the same way. He gets money in this way — namely, 

 he goes to the bank with his backer and gets from the bank the full value 

 of each car of fruit as soon as it is on board the cars. He was probably 

 $20,000 ahead of the fruit-growers before he paid a dollar on the fruit he 

 had bought of them. Possibly he had not a dollar in the business, only 

 had a friend to back him; and yet he had a capital to the extent of, say 

 $30,000 of the growers' money, which he used as long as his business 

 required it. You say you cannot get the money. That is bad enough. 

 Get this style of broker to get it for you. He gets it by hypothecating 

 your fruit. Why cannot you obtain it in the same way? The bank 

 advances him money on the bill of lading. Your banker will do as 

 well for you. This broker does quite a business on your capital. Why 

 not you? He claims to have shipped sixty-five cars last year. That is 

 to say, he had $65,000 of your capital invested during the year in his 

 business. Two and a half per cent of this is over $1,600. He can now 

 sit down and wait until next season, and then " scoop in another school 

 of suckers." Next year he may possibly take in a "new school of 

 suckers." If you were as sharp as this broker you could get money. 

 He makes a big item out of your capital. His capital consists almost 

 wholly of cheek. Haven't you better security to offer than that? 



Down at San Jose we work a good deal on the cooperative plan. One 

 time, I think it was Mr. Adams who induced me to go and talk coopera- 

 tion to a man who is a large fruit-grower in the Santa Clara Valley and 

 handles a great deal of fruit. Mr. Adams thought his influence ought 

 to be secured in aid of cooperation, so he insisted on my going to talk 

 with him. " Can't you go over," said he, " and say something to him 

 that will induce him to work with us?" "I think not; besides I have 

 not the time." " Take the time," which I reluctantly promised to do. 

 In due time I called and talked to him of the objects to be secured. I 

 spoke of the advantages and prospects of an exchange. When I was 

 through, he said, " I take no stock in new-fangled notions." " Well," 

 I said, " my firm conviction is that there was a time when everything 

 was new." "Yes; I suppose so." I talked to him a long time, but he 

 only said, "No; it is a new-fangled thing, and I want nothing to do 

 with it." By and by I said to him, " Don't you think it is worth our 

 while to gather such information as will enable us to sell our product 

 for what it is worth? Ought not the producer have something to say 



