The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1904-12-29
FRUIT INSPECTOR
PAID BY COUNTY
Plan Urged by President Smith Of
State Board of Horticulture,


board of horticulture, is very anxions
that the Or gon legislature shall provide
tor county fruit inspector. Mr..
Smith doesn't believe in asking for too
much at the hands of the legislature.
lie is well aware that the fruit Interests
will have to be satisfied with a mere
plttance in the way of state financial Aid
The present laws are good enough. but
Their enforcement is what is needed and
President Smith believes county com
missioner is the man needed, for their
enforcement, the inspector to receive
his pay from the county which he rep.
resents.
Mr.. Smiths ideas are embodied in
the following excerpts from his annual
report to the legislative assembly:
The legislature appropriates $500 to
pay the annual expenses of our state
board OF horticulture, and the financial
exhibit of the secretary of the board.
shows how this fund is distributed. Out
of this fund must be deducted the sal
ary, 5000, and the incidental expenses,
in attending semi-annual meetings of
the board as provided by law, postage,
etc, and in alternate years must pay
for the half-tone illustrations and the
paper on which it is printed, and in ad-
dition for 2OO0 copies of the biennial re-
port in order that there may be an ad-
equate number to supply the fruit grow
er, agricultural and horticultural organ
izations. What is left of the appropra-
ton, about what one qualified man
ought to receive, is divided among six
commissioners to investigate, to educate
and TO police some $4,000 square miles of
territory. On preceding page, | have
pointed out the immense area of our
horticultural districts, the smallest as
large as an eastern state, the largest
equal in size to a half dozen of them.
All that a commissioner can do is to
make hurried visits to fruit centers, with
little time for inspection and none to
see that his notices for disinfection are
complied with. Our quarantine laws
need little change; we do, however,
need to enforce them, and in order to
do this we must enlarge our horticult-
ural system.
"The want of our fruit industry at the
present time is thorough and general in
spection and enforcement of our laws
made for its protection. In 1902 our
state horticultural society appointed a
commission to go to Salem and present
bill appropriating the modest sum of
$500 to pay the expenses of a deputy
inspector at Portland and other towns
where fruit is sold or shipped, with the
result that the legislature struck out
the appropriation and then | believe,
passed the bill, and as a consequence
we will eat trash and demoralize our mar
kets to the disgust of the man who cares
for his orchard and raises clean fruit. |
regret to say that Oregon is far behind
her neighbors in the protection of the
fruit industry. Let us examine their
methods.
"The state of Washington has
commissioner at large and his official
residence is Tacoma. He is paid a sal
ary of $1,000 a year incidental expenses
$1,000; office rent and printing of bull
letins, $1,000; clerk hire, 500; fruit eX-
hibit at Tacoma, $500, In addition to
to this Washington has a county in
spector for each county. This inspector
is nominated by the county horticul-
tural society and must have certii-
cate OF qualification from the state com
missioner at large, and is appointed by
the county commissioner and paid 81
per day while in actual service. He
may be removed by the county horti-
cultural society for neglect of duty. lie
reports to the state commissioner, who
fixes the value of his services to be paid
by the county.
'"Up to 1898, California had a state
board of horticulture consisting of nine
commissioners, one for each district and
one for the state at large, In that year
it repealed that law and enacted in lieu
the office of state commissioner of hOrti-
culture with a salary of $3.50 per month,
$500 for travelling expenses; $500 for
clerk, and $500 for office rent. He may
appoint deputy with compensation of
5000 per month. In addition to the
commissioner at large, California has
county boards consisting of three COM
missioners each. 1t is made mandatory
for the county supervisors OF county
to appoint three commissioners on the
petition of % resident fruit growers.
The county may appoint a deputy in
spector, who receives ", a day for act
ual service, and the compensation OF a
commissioner is 81 a day, They may
also subdivide the country into districts
and appoint a deputy for each subdivi'
sion. The commissioner at large is
ex-officio member of county boards and
all reports are made to him. 1t is made
the duty of state printer to furnish the
commissioner at large with all printed
matter that he may require and OF the
secretary of the state to furnish his
office with all necessary stationery.
II have not the horticultural law OF
Idaho at hand, but am aware that this
state has a commissioner at large with
liberal compensation, and it is my i'm
preston that he appoints deputy lnspec-
tors wherever needed.
"From the foregoing you will see that
Washington and California have in ad-
dition to a state commissioner county
inspectors, whose compensation is PAID
by the county, and in this manner they
are able to guard their fruit industry
with the greatest care, something which
under our present system Is not anu
cannot be done. Your commissioner at
large, after giving this subject serious
consideration, respectIy but earnestly
-.
"That you enact legislation providing
for the appointment by the county com
missioners of the several counties OF the
state a county inspector who shall be APP
pointed on the petition OF not less than
25 actual fruit growers in the county
where said petition is presented together
with A certificate OF qualification from
Che Horticultural commissioner OF the
district ia which the county is situated
and further that the compensation OF
said inspector shall be county charge,
and further that the inspector shall re-
mort monthly to said state commissioner
who shall determine the value OF the
service rendered, not exceeding-dol-.
lars A dav: and further that 1t shall be
the dutv of the state commissioner to
educate and instruct said inspectors as
TO he laws and quarantine regulations
Of the state and as to the duties to be
by him; and further that an
inspector may be removed Tor nesI-
gence or incompetency on the petition ol
n like mum ber of fruit growers and appro-
val of state district commissioner by the