The San Francisco call., 1895-07-28
AGAINST THE FRUIT RING.
United Action of the Growers
the Only Thing That
Will Do 1t.
Secretary Filcher OF the State
Board Of Trade on the Fruit
Question.

There seems to be only one thing for the
fruit-growers of this State to do to break
the power of the combines in New York
and Chicago, according to the views ex-
pressed yesterday by Secretary Filcher of
the State Board of Trade and A. T. Hatch.
This one thing is to stand together to a
man and crown with success the efforts
of the California Fruit Growers and Ship
lishment in each of those cities of con-
solidated and open auction-room.
Mr.. Hatch has the utmost confidence in
President Weinstock. 1t is due to the
pluck and persistency of Mr.. Weinstock,
Mr.. Hatch recalls, that Washington Porter
was secured as the agent in all the terri
tory east of the Mississippi for the growers
of California. Previous to that time Mr..
Porter had been very successful manipu-
lator of the market, not, however, for the
best interests of the California growers.
Parker Earl was always friendly to the
interests of the producers here, and the
cooperation of these two giants of the
fruit trade meant great things for Cali
fornia.
1t now remains for the fruit.growers to
study their own interests and to ship only
to the open auctions, if possible, though it
may be that their transportation arrange
ments might possibly conflict so omewhat
with this Otherwise. if the fruit of Cali
fornia is sold in both the close and open
auctions it is brought into competition
with itself. Said Secretary Filcher:
One auction in each city, and that an open
one, is what the fruitgrowers must have to
keep California fruit from being brought into
competition with ITSELF and that they will
have if they will only all pull together. The
close auction is q regular robbing scheme-a
sort of buyers union to which only those can
be admitted who are willing to pay for the
privilege.
H. E. Parker of Placer County went to Chi
cago little while ago and made an investiga-
tion of the way the market was run. He saw
peaches bought in by the members of the COM
bine for rs cents, and afterward sold to retail
ers at 81 25. Here was q clear profit of 40
per cent made by the man In the combine on
Just one turn, and with not an iota of expense.
1t costs money to raise fruit and If anybody at
all should get the bigger share of the profit it
should be the producer.
A. T. Hatch said:
I can't think of anything better than Mr.
Weinstock's plan. Of course If all the auctions
were open and the sales were at different
times, so as to give all buyers who wanted to
bid chance, wouldn't care If there were two
places of SALE Some shippers may be SO situ-
ated that in sending fruit to New York they
can only ship to the Erie pier and others, like
WISE to the Union. Now, supposing both sales
were open to everybody, and there could be a
sale on the Erie for one hour and another at
the Union the next hour. this would give the
fruit fair chance of obtaining good prices in
the market.
Whatever Mr. Weinstock endeavors to bring
about is all right. His record in the past has
shown this. / am satisfied, if the growers will
cooperate with him, it will only be question
of time when we will have fair market with
out opposition Every grower who ships to
the close-auction companies at present con-
tributes to the strength of the opposition and
weakens the movement in behalf of the pro-
ducers. Some temporary benefit or advantage
might be derived by this, but much greater
benefit will ultimately accrue to the individual
grower if all turn in and recognize only the
open auction.
D. E. Allison, the local fruit merchant,
looks at it in the same light. He said:
believe in the open auction and the concen-
tration of fruit all in one place, SO as to give
everybody a chance to bid on it. An open auc-
ton of this kind means q greater demand East
for California fruits, and the more fruit sent
East the better 1t will be for the merchants in
the City. Our prices will be improved, as q
matter of logical consequence.
A. T. Perkins has gone East to put
his new process of shipping fruit into
practical operation. By his process the ne
cessity of ice will be dispensed with, con-
slant flow of dry sterilized air of even
temperature being the means he proposes
to use to keep fruit in good condition while
in transit Mr.. Hatch is of the opinion
that by this process fruit can be sent East
for half of what it now costs refrigerator
companies for ice.