12 



THIRTY-FOURTH FRUIT-GROWERS^ CONVENTION. 



devote more time to conference upon the administrative measures of 

 the Commission, to the relation betAveen its work and that of the county 

 horticultural offices and to the improvement of the laws governintf the 

 officials delegated to conserve the interests of fruit growing. Since my 

 experience at the last Convention I am sure that the present meeting will 

 recognize the Commissioner's address as a legitimate means of pro- 

 moting this unity of purpose and efficiency throughout the State. 



However well we may understand the needs, establish policies and 

 provide laws governing your State Commission, they can not be prop- 

 erly executed through the meager appropriation now received. Do 

 you know that only one cent out of every 400 paid in State taxes is 

 appropriated to the business of maintaining the office, patrolling and 

 quarantining the State against pests, fighting invasions of insects, hold- 

 ing these conventions, and publishing information for the fruit growers ? 

 That is exactly what the fruit industry is getting — one penny out of 

 every $4 paid into the State treasury. And that is not all. The State, 

 with commendable economy, requires us to give back 24.000 of these 

 pennies every year for office rent in a State building from which we 

 must maintain continual watchfulness to protect the commonwealth 

 herself from the invasion of fruit enemies and plant diseases. But it 

 is not of record that any one, either fruit grower or his representative 

 officials, has ever made a serious effort to get more than this one fourth 

 of one per cent Avith which to guard and promote one of the heaviest 

 taxpaying industries in the State. It is difficult to account for this 

 inertia on the part of the otherwise most enterprising and successful 

 bod}^ of fruit growers on the face of the earth ; or to explain why the 

 horticultural leaders and officials have not adopted broader policies, 

 and worked for the means of carrying them out. And thlis we should 

 not blame our legislators for overlooking a giant industry that has 

 no insistence or coherence in securing recognition from the public 

 funds — an industry that has enriched all California from the con- 

 sumers' purses of the East as no other has ; an industry that has directly 

 and indirectly brought hundreds of millions of capital for investment, 

 and established tens of thousands of families; an industry which in 

 1906 acknowledges 315,000 acres of ^dnes and 32,700,000 fruit trees, 

 besides the number to which the attiention of the assessor may not have 

 been called. Therefore it is not in criticism or complaint that we 

 should consider this deficiency of support, but ^xith good will and 

 assistance to all other landed industries and their kindred, provision 

 should be made in the future for the proper support of your chief 

 office, therewith to protect and promote your industry and give it 

 added security as a heritage to your children. 



I am devoting this paper largely to personal conference with the 

 members of this Convention. For the privilege of meeting you I am 

 pajdng car fare from Sacramento and return and the living expenses 

 , here this week from my private funds, and must continue to do this 

 wherever my duty calls for the next sixty days. After the first of July 

 I will again for another year get one penny for traveling expenses from 

 every 14,200 paid into the State treasury, as the law provides that these 

 traveling expenses must be paid from our fund of $500 per annum 

 given for this purpose to your Commissioner's office. Again, the 

 Constitution forbids the Commissioner from accepting a pass or even 



