Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1886-04-24
FRUIT MARKETING,
A SOMEWHAT POINTED LITTER
UPON THIS SUBJECT.
The Methods of the California Fru;t.
Growers Association and the
Fruit Union Compared.
[From the Pacific Rural Press.

|
result of fruit-growers' meeting held at
Newcastle on the 31st instant, in which it
is claimed among other things that the
Natoma Company is giving its unqualified
support to the California Fruit Union. and
that the agent Of the Union. Mr.. Porter
Will have the handling of the company's
fruit crop this season. While there is
nothing in the report coming from any one
authorized to speak for the Natoma Com
pany with any more authority than your
humble servant, yet am not prepared to
deny that Mr.. Porter may do So and for
the reason that have been informed that
the crop is or was for sale, and if was cor
rectly informed, know of no good reason
why il should not be sold to any one, even
Mr.. Porter or some friend of his. providing
in the Judgment of the Directors of the COM
pany satisfactory price was offered.
The only other way in which / can see
that the California Fruit Union can be Sc
cured the handling Of the Natoma com
panys crop is for it to guarantee that the
fruit shall bring a certain price at least.
with a chance for more. If terms of the
! above nature and character have been
! agreed upon, and Mr.. Porter or some agent
OF his mas bought or contracted to buy upon
the arrival in carload lots of the crop in the
| East, together with the crops OF other
! growers. is II not natural to presume that
all efforts necessary will be made to not
only get the cost back, but also to realize
! a handsome profit upon the capital in
vested, and there need be but little trouble
in bringing about such a result, providing
| the bulk of the shipments of California
| fruit East are consigned to one man, for
| then it will be very easy for him to select
markets-certain cities and towns-and
| protect them by not permitting any more
| fruit to be placed there than will bring
large profits. OF course that will necessi-
tate the Cutting of the markets, but what
| of that? ??
know it is claimed by the Trustees of
the California Fruit Union who made the
contract with Mr. Porter that he has no
right to buy fruit. Now, in order to show
that the Trustees do not understand the
! English language, or else it is difficult to
know just what they mean by what they
say, will quote all there is said in the CON
tract regarding this subject. The party of |
the second part tmeaning Porter Bros & |
CO.. agrees in division No. s: "That it will |
not purchase any other products, directly |
or indirectly, when in the opinion of the |
! General Manager of the California Fruit |
Union the sale of the same may be detri-
California
! Fruit Union, add his decision in this be- |
half shall be final unless reversed by the |
Board
This unqualifedly gives to Mr. Porter |
the right to buy until the General Mana |
ger, Mr.. Buck interferes and orders him |
to stop. Now, if understand the mean |
ing OF language, this gives to Mr. Porter
not only the right to buy parts of crops, |
but whole crops, in such proportions and
: I,, ,.Ia -
sufficient to cover the whole shipping sea-
son and there is not one word in the con-
tract to prevent him doing so.
But for argument sake | will admit there
is, and ask that, il there should any difference
OF opinion arise between the agent and the
managers as to the propriety or right oi
the agent buying, who will be in a posi-
ton to command, Mr.. Buck or Mr.. Porter |
! who under the terms of his contract with |
the Trustees has full complete and abso-
lutte control over all the fruit consigned to |
him. including the fruit of the manager
! Who is it that has the power TO destroy or |
build up at WILL the manager or the agent |
Is it natural to presume that his wishes |
will be antagonized by the manager or a |
majority of the Board, who admit they are |
, controlled by selfish motives and interests, |
when they declare as they have, that it is |
their wish and determination to force all |
! the past out of the business? Do othey not By |
so declaring admit they are willing to de- |
stroy the business and sacrifice the property |
of others, to the end that they may them |
selves be benefited? Is ii reasonable to sup |
pose those who will suffer themselves 10 |
be controlled through selfish motives to |
such degree will oppose the power they |
| have created to crush others?
Do not understand me to say that it is
wrong for Mr.. Porter TO buy if he wishes
to, or the Trustees, or anybody else to do
the same, for l do not, providing equal
facilities and conditions will be extended
to all; but, on the contrary, | do object to
taking Mr.. Porter out of the market as a
buyer. Neither do wish to be understood
as censuring the Natoma Company or any,
body for wishing to sell their fruit for |
| claim they should have the right to do so.
do object, however, to concentration and
the building up of gigantic monopoly out
of the fruit interest of California, for the
| reason that | believe, as is usually the case,
it would result in proving benefit to the
few at the expense of the many.
There is not one word in the contract
with Porter Bros. Co. that will compel it TO
appoint agents in cities and towns, or to do
anything else that will incur expense. In
fact, nothing is guaranteed by Mr. Porter
On the contrary, however, he has taken
| very great care to protect his own interests,
which fact proves him to be strictly bust |
| ness man. In the language of the contract, |
| he virtually scys to Messrs. Buck Hatch !
| De Long, Runyon and others " You are
! all nice gentlemen; honest, and no doubt |
, mean well, and have no doubt but that
all the members of the Fruit Union are
good, honest men also. But l am not |
willing to take your words for any
| thing. 1t is not business to take |
any mans word, for the reason that
| there are so many ways to get out of it. |
| l want you to bind yourselves in a contract
| with me that you will do as YOU say Won |
| will, then viii feel safe, but not otherwise.
| OF course, you all know me- and know that |
| it is not necessary for me to 90 to the |
| trouble of giving you any guarantee which |
would compel me to do right by YOU and
| thereby protect your interests, for you know
! that / will do right; that l will do the best
| | can for you, SO long as it will not inter
| fere with my own interests. That is the
| reason why l stipulated in my contract
with you that you should make good all
| deficiencies caused by carloads bringing
| less than freight, carriage and my commits
| sion"
| Let it be remembered that the purpose of
I the California Fiuit-Growers' Association
| is not Qike that of the Union) 10 form
close corporation, into which everybody is
| to be either drawn or else punished to the
death and driven out of the fruit-growing
or fruit-shipping business. The associa-
/ tions object is TO place everybody upon an
| equally favorable footing in the question of
shipping of their fruit. We are willing our
members shall sell their fruits to Porter or
any one else whom they choose What we
are concerning ourselves about is that all of
our growers shall have market for all their
marketable fruit. Whether this is obtained
by our securing low rate of
| freight so that growers can ship
and market their own fruit; ; or that
thereby the shippers can afford to paw
| them better prices, and that by reason Of
lower freights, buyers and shippers are
multiplied and better prices thus obtained