114 PROCEEDINGS OF THIRTY-THIRD FRUIT-GROWERS ' CONVENTION. 



obtained in all markets, a proper distribution of fruit is effected, thus 

 preventing an over-supply in one section of the country while a short- 

 age might exist in another. 



Approximately 35 to 40 per cent of all the fruit shipped by the Ex- 

 change is sold at public auction at point of consumption, the remainder 

 being sold at private sale. 



The Exchange has the most complete system of gathering trustworthy 

 information regarding supplies, market conditions, etc., of any factor 

 engaged in the citrus fruit business, and, owing to the volume of its 

 business, the Exchange can furnish this information at a much less cost 

 to its growers than any other selling agency. 



During the history of the Exchange, the output of the State has 

 increased from 4,000 to 30,000 carloads yearly, and the shipments by 

 the Exchange have increased from less than 2,000 to above 16,000 cars 

 yearly, and in percentage of the whole crop from 25 per cent in the 

 earlier years to '55 per cent during the season just closed, clearly 

 showing the popularity of the Exchange with the growers. 



In 1893, when labor and material were much cheaper than now, the 

 charge by the speculative or commission shippers for packing each box 

 of oranges was 40 to 50 cents, to which they added a charge for selling 

 of from 7 to 10 per cent on the delivered price, making the total cost 

 to the grower for packing and marketing from 60 'to 75 cents per box, 

 as against an average cost of about 35 cents per box for both packing 

 and marketing during recent years to Exchange members. Other 

 growers, as well as Exchange growers, have benefited through the 

 Exchange's handling its business at actual cost, in that speculative 

 shippers must charge about the Exchange cost if they expect to get 

 fruit from the growers. 



During the last three seasons since the Exchange resumed its own 

 marketing operations after the downfall of the Agency, it has shipped a 

 little more than 43,000 cars of oranges and lemons, and has distributed 

 among its growers therefor a little over $28,000,000, with a loss on 

 account of failure to collect and in transmission of funds of only $310, 

 this amount being only part of the returns on one shipment of the 

 43,000, a record that will hardly be surpassed in the years to come by 

 any business organization. 



In addition to packing and marketing the fruit of its growers, the 

 Exchange has always taken a keen interest in transportation and tariff 

 matters. The cent-a-pound duty on imported citrus fruits was obtained 

 largely by the Exchange membership, through a committee composed 

 almost exclusively of Exchange people, and the somewhat reduced 

 icing charges, the reduction of the freight rate on lemons, as well as 

 a smaller reduction in the orange freight rate, were brought about either 

 by the Exchange alone, or with the assistance of other growers not 



