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in the State than the organization of that dozen commission men. Money 

 enough would do either. 



I have said so much to show that we need not expect to reform the- 

 fresh fruit trade by means of a single shipping organization controlled 

 by growers, because no such organization can get the fruit. We simply 

 increase the confusion by one more shipping house. We must attack 

 the problem on another line, recognizing conditions as they actually 

 exist. 



I have, however, one more preliminary matter to deal with, and that 

 is the inability of local organizations to realize their own powerlessness 

 when acting alone. Local organization is absolutely essential to State 

 cooperation, but in all local organizations I note in the beginning a feel- 

 ing of decided independence of the rest of the world. Realizing how 

 much stronger they are than as individuals they were, they have a feel- 

 ing that they can lick anything. Nothing whatever can be done with 

 them until they get over that. We have a great many local fresh fruit 

 organizations who have each tried the strength of their heads against 

 the stone wall. I don't know whether they have all had enough yet or 

 not. The editor of our county Populist paper, after perusing the returns 

 of the late election, remarked that it was very evident that the American 

 people had not yet had enough hard times. Possibly our local fresh- 

 fruit shipping associations are in the same fix, but in what I am about 

 to say, I shall assume that they are satisfied and are now ready to* 

 get down to real business. 



The object to be aimed at is to restrict the shipments of fresh fruit to 

 the amount that can be sold before shipment — the seller guaranteeing 

 the arrival in sound condition — rejected cars to be sent to the nearest 

 auction city, for sale for what they will bring. 



This involves such a revolution in the trade as it will be impossible 

 to effect in one year. Keeping the ultimate object therefore continually 

 in view, we must confine our efforts this year to perfecting our organi- 

 zation and securing such amelioration of present conditions as we find 

 possible. 



The keynote of all our operations must be that until we are organized 

 we can do nothing; when we are organized we can do anything business- 

 like which we then find desirable. 



The first work of the State Exchange, therefore, in reforming the- 

 fresh-fruit trade, is to organize the fresh-fruit trade. Hitherto it has 

 confined its efforts mainly to organizing the dried-fruit interest. The 

 reason of this was that as the California Fruit Union was doing busi- 

 ness when the State Exchange was organized, it was obviously absurd 

 for a new concern owned by the same people to enter into any compe- 

 tition with it. 



There are a few who suppose that there should be separate State 

 organizations for the two interests. I think, however, that this feeling 

 is confined to the few who have interests only in the one line or other. 

 The great mass of fruit growers, however, are interested in both 

 branches, and I for one do not wish the trouble and expense of support- 

 ing two organizations, either State or local, to do the work that one can 

 do better. I don't think it is business. That the two lines must be 

 under different salaried management is evident, but the same directory, 

 the same capital, the same Eastern agency, the same general office, the 



