46 PROCEEDINGS OF THIRTY-SIXTH FRUIT-GROWERS' CONVENTION. 



amendment of the law. and we could not get ten votes in the assembly 

 if it came to a show-down, and one of the assemblymen eveD threatened 

 the support to the State Horticultural Commissioner's office if the bill 

 was insisted upon. The gentlemen who came up from Los Anuel^s 

 soon found that public sentiment was so strong against killing the bill 

 again that while they could not possibly prevent the passage of this 

 law, they could so modify it that it would not be acceptable to the com- 

 mittee of five who had formulated the bill. Without making the story 

 any longer, the bill was passed just as Judge Shields had written it, 

 with the exception of one clause, and that was the clause providing for 

 a deputy or two deputy county commissioners to be appointed by the 

 commissioner himself and providing the supervisors were willing to 

 have deputies. Now the law states that there has to be an ezaminatioD 

 in every county, and that examination is held in the same way t hat a 

 teacher's examination is held. The Governor, under the provisions of 

 this law. appointed a commission of three examiners, of which Mr. 

 Garey of Los Angeles, Mr. E. B. Collier of Riverside, and Mr. Carnes. 

 of the State Insectary, are the members. This committee has held 

 examinations in Los Angeles. San Bernardino. Riverside, and Orange 

 counties in the south, and in Placer. Nevada. Butte. Yuba. Sutter, 

 Kings, Tulare, and Fresno, in the order in which I have named them, 

 making twelve counties, or one third of the counties in the State, 

 approximately, that now have county horticultural commissioners. 

 These twelve examinations have been held and most of the appointments 

 have been made, or several of them, at least ; the supervisors have 

 twenty days after the certificates of examination are received in which 

 to make the appointments. Now they are being made in the different 

 counties. Monday. I think, the Nevada people chose their commissioner. 



This is a brief outline of the progress under this new law. It seems 

 to be a vast improvement over the old law. There are horticultural 

 commissioners sitting before me to-night, and whom we hope to hear 

 from later in the evening, and fruit growers on all sides of me. who 

 have seen the defects of the old law. I know counties in the central 

 part of the State here which have excellent men serving as commis- 

 sioners without any encouragement from the supervisors, with but little 

 encouragement from the fruit growers, serving without pay. to protect 

 their counties from insect pests and diseases. There are other counties 

 in the State where men have sought the office and are holding it just 

 for the honor of being there and having position. There are other 

 counties in the State, especially one or two in the south, or were before 

 they made their changes there, that are holding this office to keep the 

 political machine intact, and so it goes all over the State. We believe 

 now that we have got on a better plane and we will have better results 

 under the new law which places all the responsibility in the hands of 

 one man. In Los Angeles County Mr. Meserve. an old official who has 

 held the office for years and a very capable man. is commissioner. They 

 have appointed two deputy commissioners in that county. In Riverside 

 County Mr. CundifT has been appointed, in San Bernardino Mr. Pease, 

 in Orange County Mr. Roy Bishop. In San Bernardino County Mr. 

 Pease, a strong republican, an old army veteran — not an old one — has 

 received the appointment under a democratic board of supervisors. 

 Mr. Cundiff. I am sorry to say, is an old-time democrat. He is 



