The herald., 1894-01-01
An Important Organization Of
Fruit Growers Made
On the Idea That in Union There
Is Strength.
Ono Of the Movements Started During
the Past Year in Southern Califor-
nia-Its Offsets and Why 1t
Was Formed.

tione of vast magnitude. The growers
already interested represent millions OF
dollars. and their future welfare depends
in great measure on the ultimate cue
cess of this movement. They realize
fully their responsibility and the inn
portance of cooperation to the fruit
interests OF the state, and have taken
the matter in hand with determination
to make the movement success. This
is shown in the rspidity with which
large packing houses are being erected
and in the systematic and thorough
manner in which they are perfecting
their plans.
These exchanges are not trusts, and
are not organized for the purpose of fix
ing and maintaining high prlces, but to
promote systematic and more sstisfac-
tory method of handling and marketing
the products of Southern California at a
minimum expense.
The object is to bring the grower and
buyer into direct relations, doing away,
as far as possible, with the profits of the
speculator.
BY handling the entire crop through
exchanges, organized and controlled by
tie growers, it will promote uniform
and better methods of picking, culling
and packing, and by selling all fruit
I. o. b. California. will do away with
former demoralizations and afford pro-
lection to legitimate buyers, who, under
system which admits of consignments,
are not safe in buying at any price.
1t will also take the business out of the
hands of speculators and leave the sup
ply and demand alone to regulate prices
from time to time. This will make
prices more uniform, and with the bus-
ness not only concentrated, but Eys-
tematically handled, the buyers will be
poftionate rates; also have greater con-
tidence in being thus protected from
former indiscriminate packing, sales
and consignments.
1t is the purpose to carry on the
business in euch manner that the
purchasers will readily zee the great ad-
vantage of the system, and every effort
will be put forth to make the business
pleasure and profit to both the grower
. and buyer.
al. our fruit will be carefully in
spectsd, and ali kffuiE VIII be strictly as
represented. Buyers will be dealing di-
rectly with the growers; all fruit will
be packed with exchange trademark on
end of each box; therefore, buyers can
depend on securing the genuine fruit as
ordered.
These exchanges have lasting repu-
tation to make. and every grower will be
personally interested in the reputation
of his local exchange.
They will be represented by brokers
in many of the principal cities; also by
travelling salesmen and inspectors, who
will cell fruit to dealers, but orders will
be received direct from buyers.
Now is the time for the few growers
who have not Joined in this movement
to do so. The future fruit interests of
Southern California it is thought will be
greatly benefited by it's success and it is
urged that no true citizen who is a
grower should stand out.
The general offices of the organization
here are the Semi-Tropic Fruit Ex-
change. rooms Grand opera house block,
ITO South Main street.
F COMMENTS ON THE ORGANIZATION.
In connection with the organization
O. the fruit growers the following COM
ments recently made are directly to the
point:
Santa Ana Blade: At the present
juncture there is no matter of higher
business Importance to the horticultur-
isGs OF Orange county than the growth of
the organization among the orange
growers OF the southern counties to
market their fruit independently of the
midjlemen. In order that our readers
may judge of the progress making out
side OF Orange county in the direction
indicated, we quote some recent utter.
ances OF the press of reighboring coun-
ties. The Ontario Observer says:
What the orange growers now need
above all other things is self-confidence.
The lack OF self-confidence is now the
only menace to the success of their
scheme to market the orange crop inde-
pendently of the middlemen. The
dread of E. L. Earl and OF others of this
kind is baseless superstition. If the
growers stand together as one man their
union will be unimpregnable. The mach.
nations of the middlemen cannot prevail
against it. They will be forced to retire
from business or buy oranges +. o. b. and
pay for them. OF course they will not
be forced to adopt the new methodn
without resistance. They will do all in
their power to destroy the union, but il
the growers manifest reasonable
amount of courage and conference, the
empirical consignment sy stem ia doomed.
AS the few non-union growers in the
country will not consign their fruit, the
commission men must enter the field
this season as buyers.
"As they will have to fight the un ON
with their own fruit instead of with con-
signed fruit, they are not likely to coz
tnue the sacrihcial struggle very l1ng.
As the Observer has previously ex-
planned, they rely upon routing the
union orange growers and spreading dis
content and dissatisfaction among them
by offering dealers to whom the union
has just made shipments, oranges at
less prices. They will endeavor to force
the union to sell the first oranges mar
keted at a lcss to the growers, hoping
thereby to discourage the growers and
cause them to withdraw from the union.
Now, this Ia game at which two can
play. As the union already has the
fruit, it should be willing to sacrifice a
few carloads in order to get fair price
for the ba.ance OF the crop. Indeed it
could well afford to sacrifice 1000 car
loads in order to establish itself, for if