The record-union. [volume] (Sacramento, Calif.) 1891-1903, 1899-05-17

banks, who have come into possession
of orchards through the foreclosure OF
mortgages would be glad of such an
opportunity. And what is true Of
Placer County in these matters is true
of every deciduous fruit district in the
State, 1 think
In making the transfer the owner of
an orchard could be allowed to reserve
certain amount of land around his
house, and his house if he SO desired,
but further than that he would relin-
quish adj control of the property and ail
connection with the management there
OF, unless he be employed in some ca
pacrty by the corporation.
few years ago the home Senti-
ment" was too strong to permit of the
carrying out of such plan, but now
conditions have so changed that It has
ceased to be al controlling factor
An office of the corporation could be
established in each shipping town and
all of the orchards in the surrounding
country could be operated therefrom
with a. much higher degree of efficiency
and economy than is possible at pres
ent. I know this from my own expert
ence.
| Market the fruit intelligently and c,bly
through such corporation and there
| Is no doubt in the world but that much
better results could be secured to the
stockholders than are secured to the
grower under the present cut-throat
regime
The system of packing could be re-
modelled and standardized so that every
box of fruit in every car could be grad
ed and guaranteed, which fact alone
would secure to us much better results
in the East. Every precaution could
be taken to guard against gluts and
arrangements could be made so that
when they did occur the fruit could be
dried or canned here to prevent loss.
The dried fruit trade with Europe
could be developed by such corpora
ton to an extent far beyond anything
that is possible to-day, likewise the
canned fruit trade
! Such q. corporation could purchase all
supplies necessary to all phases of the
business on much better terms than it
is possible for the individual grower to
do to-day. Great economy could be
practiced in most all branches of the
ranch work and advantages realized in
picking, hauling, box making, packing
|
also grapple this matter of refrigera-
tors and freight rates, and do so sue
cessfully, which no mere union or as
ISOLATION can possibly do.
| The plan proposed of subscribing
stock and starting an Independent re-
frigerator line is not comprehensive
enough to accomplish any great good
The combination would still have I'M
| cd Of
command with which it could glut mar
ketS and take other steps to ruin our
trade wherever 1t chose Supposing
this plan to start an independent re-
| frigerator line were successfully car
ided out. which it could only be through
great difficulties. then competition be-
tween that lime and the lines of the
combine would be more keen even than
competition has been in the past, and it
| could only result disastrously TO u.s. the
combine would be risking nothing, we
would be risking our all, and a year
or two would see us worse off than we
are at present, and the combine firmly
| lntrenched What We want to do and
what We must do is to kill competition
and Kill this vampire combina ton of
COMMISSION men, Their audacity is
wonderful, their .impudence beyond be-
lief, they would not be tolerated for
day in any other line of business in the
world, and if we. do not strike while
we yet have the vitality to do so and
crush them, We may expect them to
suck our last drop of blood.
| Had we the organization propose we
could get better terms, probably, from
the railroads than they now do. If we
go to the railroad companies as a mere
$4,000 dollar concern we will receive
but scant courtesy as the combine will
| have much greater weight, and the rail-
roads are bound to favor the larger
concern.
| Could we secure 81 per cent. of the
acreage to start it would be an easier
matter to secure most of the remainder
and it would only be a matter of time
till we could completely destroy this
combine.
This is not a theory, gentlemen, it is
a matter of cold hard figures all the
way through. This combine of com
mission men is house built upon the
sand; its foundation is our fruit; if it is
allowed to stand it is our fault With
the supply of fruit gone from it it must
of necessity fall.
| If we would establish the fruit bust
ness on a prosperous basis we must,
first, take steps to prevent consigned
fruit from coming into competition with
our own. This can only be done by de-
stroying the commission houses. After
that we must do away with competition
amongst ourselves and prosperity will
| again be ours. All of this can be done
and done simply and readily by the
adoption Of the plan I propose, and it
can be done in no ether way
Cali a State convention, it will be
! largely attended Let this committee
report unanimously and urgently in IA
vor of this plan and the task of organ
| izing is half finished. The convention
would probably adopt the report. Then
prepare and publish a prospectus set
ting forth clearly and ably the plan
and purposes of the Organization TO-
gether with a plain statement of the
reasons and necessity for its formation
and have it, together with a list of
signatures, circulated among the grow
ers by bright, capable and enthusiastic
men, and I have no doubt that the
names of over 80 per cent. of the grow
ers could be secured to start the corpor-
alton, and the names of most of the
| remainder would be available soon af-
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