TWENTY-EIGHTH FRUIT-GROWERS' CONVENTION. 



153 



being one at Los Angeles. If they would make their separate associa- 

 tions like the citrus associations, and then form their local exchanges, for 

 instance, like the Semi-Tropic and the Citrus Union, and Riverside, 

 and so on, and then finally bring those local exchanges into the Los 

 Angeles association or the Fresno association — I don't care which it is, 

 but I do ask that there should not be two central agencies competing 

 with each other. 



MR. DORE. I would ask if the Los Angeles association has ever 

 made any attempt to organize throughout the State — in the north- 

 ern part of the State, Sacramento Valley and San Joaquin Valley? 



MR. STONE. No. 



MR. DORE. Then our people know nothing of this down here — I 

 did not, and I presume the rest of them did not. Possibly Mr. Hutch- 

 inson may. 



MR. THOMPSON. It seems strange to me that there is not some 

 one in the house who can give us some light on this organization that 

 Mr. Stone speaks of. I have only been in Southern California twenty- 

 one years, and within ten miles of this organization; and I can not say 

 that I know of its being in existence. 



VICE-PRESIDENT GRIFFITH. I am a little surprised at what 

 Mr. Thompson has stated about not knowing about that exchange. Five 

 years ago it was born in this room. A committee was appointed here 

 to draft by-laws and a constitution and perfect the organization in 

 Southern California. 



MR. THOMPSON. I do not wish it to be understood that I did not 

 know when this child was born; but I did not know of its having nursed 

 since that. I supposed it was dead. 



• MR. STONE. The difficulty at Fresno, Mr. Nourse has very frankly 

 said in his correspondence with me, is one of money. He says that he 

 and a friend or two have put up some money to exploit the thing in his 

 district, and he thinks he ought not to be asked to put up any more. 

 And I think that is very reasonable. Now, this ought not to be a thing 

 for private enterprise, for men to pay out of their own pockets. When 

 this exchange was formed in this room, there were a certain number of 

 persons in the room who guaranteed funds until the exchange itself 

 was in funds, when it was declared in this room that the funds would 

 be returned to the subscribers. As I said just now, faith was broken in 

 that respect, and from that moment I have never had any confidence in 

 the Los Angeles Dried Fruit Exchange. Now, Mr. Neff, notwith- 

 standing, represents that exchange, and it has funds. Now, can't we 

 appeal to Mr. Neff to take the initiative in this thing and with funds at 

 his disposal communicate with the Fresno people and enter upon a 

 campaign on behalf of the dried fruit people of this State? I don't care 

 whether the central selling authority is in Los Angeles or whether it is 



