The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1903-09-13
TRANSPORTATION PROBLEMS.

( CalIoddS IN 1907, and only about one
/ thlrd OF the trees are now of bearing age
TRANSPORTATION PROBLEMS.
Transportation and marketing prob
3 lens still occupy large share of the
J time which producers can devote to local
and State assemblies Though it is i'm
possible yet to record the permanent sue
! cess OF any great undertaking, still the
Dement'S resulting from such degrees of
/ success as have been attained are nota-
! Die. The skeptic on the feasibility of CO.
! operative action among agriculturists
might truly claim, for example, that the
/ greatest undertaking the Southern Cali
/ fornia Citrus Fruit Exchange had never
secured control of more than half the cit
/ rus fruits produced that the Raisin
! Growers Association had not only failed
I TO secure permanent organization, but
mad difficulty even in getting a one-year
] contract for 80 per cent of its product
/ and was, therefore forced to abandon for
/ the present. at least. all of its great am
| Dltlon toward owning its own packing
/ houses, its own establishment for seeding
/ raisins and the distribution Of it's own
products; that the great association of
prune growers failed so iamen tably in its
undertaking to sell at its own prices the
l5O,OVO,0OO pounds prune crop of 1900 that
1t never was given another crop to sell
IL Is true that this is a sad record for
! cooperative packing and selling, for
these are the greatest efforts ever made
| in the State. but the impression changes
! II little color is thrown upon the pic
ture Though the Citrus Fruit Exchange
never controlled more than half the
product, 1t was able to double the return
per box to growers Immediately after it's
organization by correcting the methods
OF its rival buyers and 1T has exerted a
strong influence. ever since in correcting
abuses, in extending distribution, In re-
oh 81. -
SAID TO have rescued the California citrus
fruit interest from collapse and during
the present year it has formed a merger
with rival buyers to prevent gluts and
losses in Eastern markets, an example
which was quickly followed by those
handling the Eastern shipment of decidu-
GUS fruits. Its direct value and its indi-
rect value in showing fruit growers their
power when working together are both
measurable, ard yet it never controlled
more than half the crop.
LESSON OF FAILURE.
THE Raisin Growers Association i'm
mediately upon its organization, secured
control of about 80 per cent of the raisin
output and fixed the prices at figures
which yielded a fair profit to the grow
ers sold the years crop, cleared away a
considerable carry-over from the previous
year and brought a new era of prosperity
i-NO tAO lCSllO anu hlIlRS county OlSIrlCI
OF the San Joaquin Valley, enabling grow
ers to pay off mortgages and have a good
supply of ready money besides. 1t has
worked five years or more. never reach
ing the permanency and perfection of or
ganization which its most ambitious pro-
motors aimed at and yet always rescuing
the ralsin interest from exactions and OPP
pressions. The association of prune grow
ers had most difficult task in its eff
fort to sell at a profit the enormous prune
product OF 1900, including the output of
rival sections and of people distrustful
of each other 1t had rivals at home and
enemies at distance. 1t made colossal
errors in the matter of ways and means
and from nearly all points of view 1t
failed utterly and will never outlive its
bad name. Out of its failure, however
comes stronger disposition than ever
toward the formation of local associations
and their affiliation into central control
Lessons have been learned from failure
and the air is cleared after the storms
Cooperation among California fruit grow
ers is all the stronger because of the fall
uTes it has made.
I'VE have now in California from IS to
100 local associations, most of them own
ing property in packing houses, etc., buy
ing and distributing supplies, grading and
packing fruit and drying in many cases,
selling first-class products under their
NiotAiSlANS OId1luSs anu dOlAilS IL
gether in securing advantages in
transportation and the like. We
have associations of special-product
people, walnut growers. almond growers,
ppune growers, ETC., which are in some
cases fixing minimum price or arranging
public sales, accepting or rejecting bids
upon products in bulk and representing
many producers. In these lines of local
cooperation steady and stalwart prog
ress is being made and general affiliations
including these units will in time bring
all our growers together in mutual IN
Outstanding and joint action.
IRRIGATION INCREASING.
Irrigation is continually winning wider
recognition as a recourse for safety and