The record-union., 1899-05-24

thoughts that I may give you may sug-
gest some plans for your own protec-
ton.
First of all let me emphasize the
fact that you have heard sounded from
the house tops for years, that shipping
fruit on consignment is wrong in prln-
eiple, unbusineSs-like, demoralizlng IN
Eenect, disastrous in It's results. It's
tendency. is always, to lower and unset
tie values, and 1t never does anything
else, and YOU must decide that this
/ kind of marketing must be entirely cut
! off, root and branch. This brings you
face to face with the two methods,
VIZ: The first, selling absolutely free
| on board the cars at the shipping
point-California-for spot cash or its
equivalent in f. o. b. contracts, that
| mean exactly what they call for, viz
That the draft attached to the bill OF
laden shall be good for its face in any
| bank in the State.
The second method, selling deliv-
| cred in the Eastern markets, taking
| your own risk in the fruits in transit,
and by the efforts of your own salaried
agents, undertaking to save the prof
| its the Eastern buyer must see in
sight before he will take the risk and
put up his money at your office desk IN
California
There are many strong arguments
on both sides, and / will undertake to
| give you few of them for your care
| fui consideration:
The walnut and raisin associations
| as now organized, are an illustration
| OF the spot cash method and not
car of their products will leave their
doors until paid for in full at an agreed
price. This certainly would be very
| pleasant with the deciduous fruit
growers in a like situation to-day.
The selling delivered proposition
could be no better illustrated than by
the Southern California Fruit Exchange
whose statements are certainly such as
the best financiers of the country could
scarcely criticise. Our successful COM
petitors, VIZ: Earl and Porter, will tell
you that the growers could not possibly
SELL the fresh deciduous fruits f. 0. b.
California They will admit, owing to
their supreme ability, they can sell a
| few cars f. 0, b., but demand that your
| fruit, amounting to a number of mill
ions of dollars must be turned over to
them on consignment without agreeing
to give you one dollar for all this value
received.
Let me say to you that your fine
diciduous fruits are considered more of
a staple article by the Eastern jobbers
and consumers than either oranges,
raisins or walnuts. They stand next
to apples, as to their general demand
by the consumers of all the fruits
grown, and if raisins and walnuts-usad
largely as a luxury-can be sold for
spot cash, so can the wholesome and
healthy fresh deciduous fruits.
Did have the amount of money and
ability claimed by either the Earl Fruit
Company or Porter Brothers Company,
would put my entire bank account up
as guarantee that at an expense of
$50 per carload for marketing I would
agree to sell every car of fruit f. O. b.
California at it's full value, and collect
lOo cents on the dollar for the same,
and l would willingly give the growers
every cent of rebate from the car line
auction companies and commission
houses, and 1 could easily save $4,000
Tor my own efforts and give the grow
ers double the net amount they can
ever hope to receive on the consignment
basis. The f. o. b. proposition encour-
ages the highest possible prices and the
widest distribution of any plan, and
With the very best and most responsible
trade in the land The minute buyer
invests his own money in a car of
fruit the next minute he puts in his
| best efforts to make fair profit above
the price he pays, and your values are
in this way held up to a proper figure
| in the Eastern markets. Only those
who have capital can pay for their fruit
in California, and only those who have,
we'll established trades would dare buy
| in car lots. The shyster that now So
! licits consignments without either can't
tai or trade, would be eliminated on this
proposition. Absolute f. o. b. sales of
this kind would Immediately encourage
orders from all cities of 10000 inhabi-
tants and larger. This method would
give them protection on their purchases.
and they would gladly order all their
trade could use at a fair profit. A large
| Jobbing house at Albany, n. Y, wrote
me on the 9th of this month that their
! city had never received direct a car of
deciduous fruits, Notwithstanding it is
city of nearly 100000 inhabitants.
This same firm buys fully seventy-five
carloads of oranges f. o. b. every sea-
son, and they also buy raisins and wal
nuts IN car lots, paying spot cash for
the same, and they write that they are
ready to follow out the same program
on deciduous fruits, if they can be pro-
tected from consignment.
There is not a good reliable fruit
| jobber in the United States but believes
that f. o. b. sales are the only true
business methods to follow. They never
think of consigning the supplies they
put their money in, and why should the
growers who have their all in the fruit
they grow, accept such a one-sided con-
tract. There is not a good jobbing
house in these United States but stands
ready to buy your fruits f. O. b. Cali
fornia7 and pay for them as agreed.
when you will make the conditions such
that they will be protected from con-
signment The way you allow your
| fruit to be handled reminds me of the
Irishman who wanted to take his dog
from one city to another on the train.
and the conductor refused the dog a
ride, but said he could tie him on be-
hind When the Irishman arrived at
II l