COOPERATIVE CITRUS-FRUIT MARKETING AGENCY. 9 
ORGANIZATION OF THE COOPERATIVE ASSOCIATIONS. 
The organization of the Orange Growers' Protective Union in 1885 
was the earliest attempt to unite the citrus growers for the purpose 
of marketing their fruit. The union was formed with a capital stock 
of $100,000, divided into 20,000 shares of $5 each. 5 The members 
of the union arranged to have their fruit packed by commercial 
packers and turned over to dealers for sale or consigned to commis- 
sion companies. The Riverside district, the most important ship- 
ping section, refused to cooperate under this plan. 6 The union 
did not own or operate packing houses and seems never to have been 
firmly established. The purposes of the union were to secure a 
better control of the market and a more, equitable distribution of 
supplies. However, its form of organization was not calculated to 
insure success, since in effect it did not control either the packing 
or the marketing of the fruit of its members. It was also bitterly 
attacked by the speculative shippers, and was forced to suspend 
operations after two or three seasons. During this time at least one 
assessment of 10 per cent was made to maintain the organization. 
The union was revived in 1890 and finally disbanded in 1893. 7 
Other organizations of citrus fruit growers were the Fruit Growers 
Union of Southern California, organized in January, 1891, the 
Riverside Orange Trust, incorporated in December, 1891, and the 
Riverside Orange Growers and Packers Protective Association, 
which operated during the season of 1891-92 and part of 1892-93. (J) 
Each of the organizations represented an attempt to unite the inter- 
ests of growers and dealers. Such a union was found to be imprac- 
tical and all of these organizations failed after brief careers. All of 
the organizations apparently operated through dealers, who were not 
truly cooperative as they often bought fruit from growers outside 
the organization. This was done usually to make up a carload for 
shipment. 8 
At least two associations, strictly cooperative in character, oper- 
ated during the season of 1892-93. One of these, the Pachappa 
Orange Growers Association, was organized at Riverside; and the 
other, the Claremont California Fruit Growers Association, now the 
Indian Hill Citrus Association, near Claremont. About the same 
time the Redlands Orange Growers Association was organized at 
Redlands. This association never affiliated with the exchange, but 
has operated for 30 years as an independent local unit. The Pachappa 
and Claremont associations became part of the exchange system. 
The first president of Claremont California Fruit Growers Associa- 
tion, P. J. Dreher, has made the following statement regarding the 
organization : 
The history of the present system of marketing citrus fruits by cooperative growers 
organizations must, therefore, begin with the season of 1892-93 (one year before the 
exchange was organized ) at Claremont. Here the first cooperative organization lor 
direct marketing. The Claremont California Fruit Growers Association, was organized 
and handled the crop of its 11 members, which consisted of 21 cars that season. 
6 From a stock certificate of the unionin the possession of P. J. Dreher, Long Beach, Calif. 
• Interview with P.J. Dreher .formerly president of the California Fruit Crowcrs Exchange. 
1 1nterview with P.J. Dreher, September, 1922. 
8 Interview with B. A. Woodford, formerly general manager of the California Fruit Growers Exchange, 
Sept. 12. 1922. 
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