The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-06-28
THE PRICES OF RA|S|NS,
w. F. ForSey Tells of a New
Combination of the Grow
erS in Fresno.
The Entire Packs of the Co-Oper-
ative Companies to Be Sold by
One Committee.

w. F. Forsey, the secretary of the Pro-
ducers' Cooperative Raisin- packing Com
pany is IN town. His company is the
largest of its kind in Fresno. Its member
ship is made up entirely of raisin-growers
who have pooled their crops in order to
sell their goods to advantage. He said
yesterday:
A combination is being effected among the
growers that must be q powerful agent in keep
ing up the prices OF raisns. We tried to form
such combination last year, but sought to in
clude the packers. The result was similar to
what would follow If a wolf were locked I'D in
the fold with the sheep.
This year we will try to get only the growers
together. Not only that; we only want those
who belong to the cooperative packing COM
panies or have their goods packed by the CO.
operative packing companies.
In other words, our intention is to have the
growers join together to pack their own goods
Then the entire pack will be put in the hands
of selling committee, who will take advan-
tage OF the connections of the various COM
panes i'll order to market the goods This will
insure the growers acting as unit.
Previously the commission packers by well
designed cuts OF prices have been able once in q
while to brighten some OF the smaller growers
to sacrifice their goods. This hes induced q
general slaughter, disastrous to everybody but
the commission men.
The large buyers would pay 5 cents for
raisins os readily as = or 3 cents if they had &c
and did not fear that prices were going down
W nile our organization Will meet falls in the
market, 1t Will prevent fatal competition be-
tween the cooperative companies.
Already four comp anles, consisting OF raisin
| growers have agreed to unite. These are the
| Producers, the EaSton Company, the OleandeI
| Company and the Kern County Fruit Elk
| change.
| There are two other cooperative raisin
| packing companies, one at Selma and one a.
| Hanford These we expect will join us.
| Mr.. Forsey explained that the idea in tn,
organization was not to give raisins ar
artificial value. 1t was to prevent unwis,
| cutting of prices and to enable the groves
| to hold his stock without loss when cir
| cumstances were not favorable for selling
To prevent any failure of the plans eacl
member of the organization makes severa
| iron-bound contracts. One contract put
| all his stock In the hands of the co-opera
| tive packing companies. Another puts al
| the packed goods in the hands of the sell
| ing organization. which takes upon itsel
all the work of marketing the goods. Mr.
| Forsey concluded:
The final results are pooled. If goods brin,
| low prices because of careless packing the in
| dividual packer must stand the loss. If price
| go down every one shares the shrinkage.
According to Mr.. Forsey there was to b
great reduction in packing charges This
be thought, would bring more growers int
the combination. The larger the combina
ton was the greater would be its influence
but with only those now members Mr.
| Forsey thought values could be kept steady