The herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1893-1900, 1895-09-20
TO THE ORANGE GROWERS
A Letter From the Southern California
Fruit Exchanges
A Brief Review of the Business Last Year
and Suggestions rlade for the
Coming Season

The Southern California Fruit Ex-
changes have addressed letter to the
orange growers. men. bers of the ex-
changes of Southern California, "a copy of
viii III is here given:
To the Orange Growers. Mem berS OF the
Exchanges of Southern California:
In closing the seasons operations we
deem ii proper and dou Ut es sly oil will eS=
Feet us to contribute a brief summary of
the years work and some suggestions for
the future.
We need scarcely recall the fact that
owing to the destruction of the Florida
crop the orange growers of California had
the most sanguine hopes for the year
business. Two things in particular made
it extremely difficult to realize all they
expected. First, the depressed business
conditions prevailing throughout the
country and the enormous importations
of oranges from the Mediterranean.
In spite of these unfavorabls conditions
and the further fact that at nearly all
points We were confronted with Califor-
MIA oranges thrown upon the market by
commission shippers, many of them
sold at auction, brngi ing rarely the cost of
trans ortation and despite the prevail
ence throughout the east for many weeks
of the coolest weather know in twelve
years, it is gratifying to Know that the
results of the years work have been gem
orally satisfactory. All high grade fruit
has brought handsome returns to the
esANcer.
VI, W it became apparent that foreign
fruit ~as coming in such quantities as to
&c.lJ and demoralize nearly all markets
wo gut representative CT the exchanges
on the Atlantic seaboard with a supply
of California oranges and checked the in
coming tide from abroad and not only
protected our interior markets but took a
share of the standard trade. In doing
this we believe permanent place has
been made for our fruit in the populous
Atlantic states.
1t is, we think, worthy of note that in
preparing to meet this competition the
influence of the exchanges was sufficient
to secure temporary suspension of the
fourth section of the interstate com n cree
act and thereby a reduced freight rate.
1t is clear to us that hereafter We must
be early in all markets to claim full
share of the trade. With our increasing
product it must be evident to every
man of foresight we must have for our
fruit wide distribution, contesting., if
need be, every inch of the ground Tor this
purpose.
Another matter that deserves notice is
the profit accruing to the exchanges from
the opera tons of the Overland Fruit
Dispatch. Although this car line was not
organized until the season was far adj
vanceu there has already been paid over
to the exchanges and distributed among
the growers from this source $40, 900 in
cash. This is an entirely new source of
revenue to the growers in the exchanges.
1t is not our purpose to advance argu-
ments in this circular; but we submit
that the experiences ana results of the
past two years operation of the ex-
change movement have demonstrated be-
yond all question that cooperation is of
vital necessity to the permanency of the
orange growing industry. If the growers
transacting their own business at the least
possible cost are not able to succeed, then
the industry must perish. They can
succeed by cooperate OH.
The old system of cnnsignments and in
discriminate shipments puts every grower
in competition with his neighbor, while
our cooperative system promotes regular
markets, secures widest distribution sof
the fruits and puts the profits of the
business into the hands OF the producers
instead of the pockets of the Spectator.
Experience has taught us that some
change IN our plan of marketing is abso-
from time to time fixed our prices and
endeavored to sell TO- b. in California. The
result was that the comm iSsion men,
knowing that we would maintain the
prices as agreed upon, have constantly
offered the consigned fruit below the ex
c1ange prices. AS u OHSeQuenCe We
have had many reflections and been COM
PEELED to allow REBATES. The plan agreed
upon by the exchanges for the coming
season is fully set fortt. in circular that
will be distributed through the various
exchanges. Messrs. =. +. Platt and
Thomas Morehouse. who have been east.
ern representatives of the exchange the
past season, are now and will remain for
some days in Southern California. and
will meet the exchanges and many of ths
growers, and be able to more fully ex-
plain the conditions they found in the
eastern markets and the plans and pur-
poses to be hereafter pursued.