The record-union., 1899-05-24
Evening Session.

II was 40 When CHAIRMAN otepileilo
again called the convention to order.
Fully half of the growers present dur
ing the day were absent.
H. K. Pratt of the southern part of
the State, and who was connected with
the fruit exchanges of California for
three years, was called on by the
Chairman, and read the following pa
per:
After all the years of agitation Of
the public press, and by men of we'll
known ability, that the cooperation
of our fruit growers is the only thing
that will save them from utter ruin,
there is little need to say more at this
time to further emphasize this absolute
necessity. Ninety per cent. of the raj
sin-growers have given their verdict
on the principles involved by signing
contract looking to that end. The
walnut growers have full as large a
per cent. in their excellent organiza-
tion, and not car of either of these
products can leave their shipping
house until they are paid for at an
agreed and satisfactory price. The
prune and cured fruit products are also
making excellent headway under this
same great cooperative benefit, and
last, but not least, the Southern Cali
fornia Fruit Exchange, so ably man
aged by A. H. .Naftzger, has made a
most excellent record this past six
years, and changed the proposition of
the consignment basis of 1912, when
Seeding oranges did not pay orchard
expenses, and a large per cent. was not
shipped on account Of no market. The
fact OF the existence of this exchange
has forced the speculative shipper 10
pay an agreed value in gold coin for
the products they have shipped. These
growers associations handling these
several products have reduced the mar
keting expenses to one-quarter the
former charges, and added to the sup
port of their homes probably double
the net amount they would have re-
ceived had the consignment plan cam
tinued No words could emphasize
your present position better than a por-
ton of Mr.. Naftzger's remarks before
your committee one week ago referring
TO the citrus industry before the pres
ent organization, being in a similar
condition to our own. Mr.. Naftzger
said:
We heard the same talk of the
spectators that you hear now, They
declared that they had the markets,
the materials, the cars and the knowl-
edge Of the business, and that we
couldn't compete. That is all bosh
We now handle more fruit than any
five shippers in Southern California.
We get more money for that fruit than
they do, and we operate at less ex-
pense. So We pay more money to the
grower. OF this 1 am willing to sub
init the proofs. We will show our
books whenever any challenging ship
per win show his.
They said we couldn't do business
that we We're hayseeds. But we went
into the markets with our own agents
Last year we marketed over 100000
boxes of fruit with a loss of 5000 on
bad accounts. This year we have mar
keted between $500 and 1900 carloads
without the loss of a single dollar from
bad accounts. We have forced the
Spectators to buy the fruit they
handle, instead of handling it at our
risk.
Nobody can beat your game if you
play it. The refrigerator and railroad
lines are after the people who control
the tonnage. Now, if you of Northern
California control your own tonnage,
you nave solved the problem You
must do that by agreement among the
growers
Now while you all believe in CO.
operation, and will no doubt see the
necessity Of putting your name to the
proper contract, possibly some of you
would like to have some ideas as to
how the marketing can be done when
once you are organized, and as I have
had wide experience, not only with The
Southern California Fruit Exchange.
but have been actively engaged in this
same line for over twenty years, the