The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1896-12-01
Acknowledgements
WANT PROTECTION
Prepare a Memorial to Be
Presented to Con-
greSS.
Declare They Cannot Compete
With the Product From
Abroad.
The Fruit.Raisers' Convention Will
Be Asked TO Indorse the
Movement.

SACRAMENTO, CAL, Nov. 3O.-Ihe
annual convention of the State Fruit
growers Association will open IN the
State Capitol at $3.50 o'clock tomorrow
morning. A number of fruit-growers
have already arrived and the attendance
promises to be very large by Tomorrow
evening. There will be forenoon and
afternoon sessions, but no evening meet
ings. Or Wednesday evening reception
will be given the fruit-growers in the
Senate cham Der by the State officers and
citizens of Sacramento. The convention
will continue through Friday. The pro-
gramme is subject to revision. That for
tomorrow is as follows:
Morning session-A report of the committee
from the last session on cooperative fruit
unions will be read. The committee consists
of r. d. Stephens OF Sacramento, B. F. Walton
of Yuba City, A. B. Sprague of Antelope, c. J.
Berry OF Visalia and t. NJ. RICHTER of Camp
bell. Report by the secretary on memorials
and resolutions passed at the last session.
Afternoon session-Essay, should Tree
Planting Be Encouraged or Discouraged? II
So What Kind. Varieties, etc.?' by General n.
p. Chapman OF Red bluff; essay, How 10 I'm
prove Our Orchards" by B. F. Walton of Yuba
CITY; essay, protecting Orchards from
Frost" by w. II. Harmon, forecast official, of
San Francisco; addresses by Hon. b. +. Lang
ford and P. B. Armstrong, representing State
convention of almond-growers, respecting
Congressional legislation affecting the almond
industry.
Many OF the leading aImond-growsrs of
the State, who are here to attend the fruit
growers convention also, met in the
Capitol tonight to prepare memorial to
Congress showing the needs and require.
ments of this industry, which is one of
the most important in California. There
are over 500 almond growers and 100000
almond trees i'll the State. Over 800.0G of
these are full bearing trees, producing
from seven to eight pounds to tree.
The total annual product of almonds in
this State is about $500 900 pounds. which
is about half the quantity that is annually
consumed in this country. Ten thousand
people are employed in the almond indus
trv at 81 day average wages, from six
weeks 10 three months in the year. They
are mostly women and children. Sixteen
cents day is the average paid in Europe
for the same labor
P. B. Armstrong of Acampo, San Joa-
quin County, was elected chairman of the
meeting, and w. c. Green secretary. The
following memorial was prepared:
To the Honorable, the Senate and the House
of Representatives of the United States of
America, in Congress assem- hled: Your me.
morialists, the fruit-growers OF the Slate OF
California, in convention assembled at SAcra-
mento, this 30th day of November, so, most
pectfuIly represent:
That the climate and soil of this State and
other States on the Pacific Coast adapted
the growth OF the almond, which tree is
grown extensively and produces nuts OF good
quality, and in quantities nearly sufficient to
supply the demand for such product in the
United States: !. and the success of this enter
prise is OF the greatest Importance to the
Pacific Coast States, California in particular,
and to the Nation.
Your memorialists further represent that,
owing to great competition of foreign-grown
almonds sold in our home markets and the
low tariff on Imported almonds, this home
product cannot be sold al profit; that there is
scarcely an almond grower who has made the
Slightest percentage OF profit from trees planted
within the past ten years. On the contrary,
the business has been conducted at loss, and
this loss will continue until the tariff on I'M
ported almonds be revised to meet the ext
gencies of the case. That there is no other
American industry so justly entitled to
higher protective tariff than the almond in
dustry.
In support of the memorial the growers
claim that the selling prices is from 10 to
u cents pound, and they want the tariff
ON foreign almonds increased 5 or cents
pound. They will ask for higher tariff
than that fixed for almonds in the Nc
Kinley bill. Chairman Armstrong at
tended the last session of Congress, and
he said that if he had had the backing of
the almond-growers and fruit-growers be
) could have had the tariff retained at 5
cents at least. 1t WAS stated that owing
to the heavy freight rates it was i'm posi-
BILE for California lmond-growerI to COM
pete with foreigner il the New York and
Atlantic seaboard ma rkets.
The walnut-gro have been invited
to join the almond people in the memo
rial, as their interests are identical. It IL
proposed to assess each almond-grower
from TO 10 cents an acre to support the
expense of presenting the memorial to
Congress in a proper and effective way.
The memorial will be presented to the
frult-growers' convention tomorrow, with
the REQUEST that it indorse it