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of authorized delegates from all local Exchanges to meet at the time of 

 the annual stockholders' meeting of the State Exchange. These dele- 

 gates will have power either to pledge or withhold the funds for the 

 support of the State Exchange. If they withhold the funds it will die; 

 if they pledge them they can attach such conditions as they choose and 

 so control it. 



The practical working method, as we understand it, would be this: 

 The State Exchange, as the agent of the local Exchanges, would appoint 

 all the brokers necessary in all markets, and supply their names to all 

 contributing Exchanges, who would push the sales of their own goods 

 through these brokers, missing no chance of a better sale at home. 

 Each broker will contract to supply the State Exchange with informa- 

 tion asked for, the State Exchange to repeat the same by daily private 

 bulletins to the local Exchanges. Whatever further concert of action 

 was thought desirable would be arranged through the State Exchange, 

 and no one but those interested know anything about it. There would 

 be a regular annual convention of delegates of local Exchanges, like the 

 one now proposed to be held with the annual stockholders' meeting of 

 the State Exchange. That is about all there is of it. The State Ex- 

 change would be the agent of the local Exchanges, and do what they 

 wished and keep their business to themselves like other business people. 

 The humbug of running a business for the benefit of all, at the expense 

 of a few, would be abolished. That is about the way I look at it, and 

 I think there is a general agreement sentiment among us. 



In conclusion, I have simply to say to the fruit growers that it is 

 either something of this kind, or the survival of the fittest. Take your 

 choice. There is no trouble whatever in accomplishing what we seek, 

 except the self-denial of stopping the everlasting talk which has nothing 

 in it except wind, and considering the subject coolly, as we would any 

 other business matter. If those who do not intend to cooperate in deed, 

 will simply stop talking as if they intended to, and let the discussion 

 be confined to those who mean business either one way or the other, we 

 could tell better how we stand. The main trouble so far has arisen 

 from the deceptive talk at conventions on the part of those in whom 

 there is nothing but talk. This has lead to a belief in the existence of 

 a sentiment which in great part had no existence, but largely had to be 

 created to the great annoyance and disgust of those who supposed they 

 had accepted the duty of carrying out the will of the fruit growers, and 

 not that of educating them to adopt a policy. The sentiment that has 

 had to be created was not that in the circumstances in which California 

 is now placed there must be either effective cooperation or serious dis- 

 aster to the fruit industry; that sentiment did, and does exist; what 

 had to be created was the sentiment that it is as dishonorable in any 

 grower who believes in cooperation and accepts its benefits, to neglect 

 paying his part of the bill for it, as to evade paying the men who pick 

 his fruit; it is not true that any man who can afford to own a farm 

 cannot pay his cooperation bills as well as he can pay his other help 

 bills; but there are hundreds of growers in the State who say they 

 believe their receipts are largely increased by cooperative movements 

 now in progress, and yet refuse to devote any part of those increased 

 receipts to pay the bills for securing them; they say they are too 

 poor, and it is doubtless true that this year there are many of 

 us who find ourselves unable to pay all our bills, in which cases all 



