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OFFICIAL REPORT OF THE PROCEEDINGS OF THE 



Now, as to the "how " of cooperation and organization — that is, as to 

 the manner. We need not be dogmatic. By comparison with the old 

 time-worn statement, '''the way to resume is to resume" and ''the way to 

 cooperate is to cooperate." When the disposition is present among 

 the producers they will find a way to do it. I remember very well when 

 the orange-growers of Southern California undertook to organize. I had 

 been all my life in another line of business, but had an orchard 

 coming into bearing and I interested myself because all the business 

 interest had been involved in it. We held a meeting and had as many 

 growers perhaps as are here to-day. Everybody wanted to know what 

 was to be done, and I admit that I knew less about it than any of them. 

 But I remember of saying this, " Gentlemen, it is proposed here that we 

 appoint a committee of eleven men and make an organization of 

 this thing, one that will take charge of the business and market 

 our oranges for us." I said further, " Gentlemen, this audience cannot 

 select eleven men into which I am unwilling to put my crop and 

 have them pay the proceeds to me after they have paid the 

 expenses of the organization." Further, that if the orange-growers 

 of Southern California don't know enough to market oranges they 

 had better sell their ranches to some one who does know enough to 

 attend to that part of it, for if you don't, presently the other fellow will 

 own your land. What I mean by that is, that if the prune-growers, 

 about whom Professor Childs has been talking, would add the spirit of 

 cooperation they would soon find themselves prosperous. If they are 

 willing to cooperate I venture to say it would be possible to get them 

 together and select six or eight or ten men who would transact the 

 business better than they transact it themselves. I was amused with 

 what was said here yesterday about the salaries paid to leaders. I 

 have drawn the best salary among the orange-growers myself, and 

 I can look complacently upon it. The showing that the gentle- 

 man made here yesterday reminds me of an incident where a com- 

 plaint was made against my salary, and I found, in summing the 

 matter up, that it cost them 60 cents an acre to increase my salary. 

 This complaint was made when there was a desire to have my salary 

 increased. When you get a combination and a large volume of fruit, 

 the salary and that sort of thing are incomparable to the question 

 of service. What has the payment of salary by the raisin-growers 

 of Fresno got to do with the matter? It is the question of the 

 rescue of an industry from insolvency or bankruptcy and placing it 

 on a successful basis. The salary has little to do with it. As I said 

 before, the organization will find its methods if the spirit is present. 

 We must bring this organization about in the direct manner of give 

 and take, because no man can have his own way. He has got to 

 yield at this and at another point, and another man has got to 



