The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1906-04-12
ANNUAL MEETING
APPLE GROWERS
(codtmued from Page y

am sure Coulu CONVINCE Ine mosJ
skeptical.
Although have only been a resi-
dent of our famous Hood River Val
ley for three years, my position has
kent me In constant touch with the
old timers from whom / have learned
much Of the past history. While do
not purpose to go back to the time
when Mt. Hood vas A. hole In the
ground, do wait 10 refer f0-tA68 8-cena-
dition In 1907, the year before the
Hood River Apple Growers Union
was organized; just to mention few
things as they existed.
Our best apples, the Spit2enbergs,
we're sold at So cents per box, and let
me tell you that every year in eastern
markets like New York and Boston
apples we're actually higher priced
than in the following year, 1903, when
our Spitzenbergs sold at S2 90 per box
I. O. b. Hood River. This certainly
should be very convincing evidence.
In 1902 without Union, 85 cents per
box, and this price can be corrohorat-
cd by growers see in the. audience
who sold at this figure. The first year
the Union was organized our Spitzen-
bergs sold at $500 pei box {. o. b.
Hood River in 1904 at 81. 90 and in
1905 at S2.06.
/ do not believe many Of you fully
realize what your Union is doing for
you personally and the valley in gen.
eral. 4, Formerly We paid IL cts. for
apple boxes. Last year you were sup
piled at 81 cts. which meant a saving
to you of S2500. Strawberry crates
cost l6 cts, but last year, through the
efforts of Union men, l00,0 600 crates
we're supplied at 13 cts, making a saw
ing to the strawberry growers of $4,000.
Your wrapping paper for apples was
supplied by your Union, saving you
nearly $1,000 more, and this year your
spray material will cost you cts. per
pound less through the efforts of your
Union, another saving of nearly $1,000,
and let me tell you if your Union had
not taken up the spray material it
would have cost you probably just the
same as last year, -16, II and IS cts.
per pound, in fact any price dealers
might see fit to- ask.
The best Unions all over the coun-
try are supplying their members with
spraying material, paper, boxes, ETC.,
and it is customary to add 10 to 20
per cent to the cost to cover the eX
penses of handling the same. Where
this per cent is added, if it shows a
profit the grower is benefited just the
same for it helps to make the charge
for handling apples just that much
less per box. Let me sum up this
saving for you, per year.
yssSsS 5000 on straw berry crates
$500 on fpple boxes
$1,000 on paper
$1,000 on spray
Total $500 per year actually saved
the fruit growers on materials they
use, and by whom-by yourselves, who
are members of your associations
Just one year 3 experience in the Fruit
Growers Union convinced the board
of directors and the present manage
ment that radical measures had to be
taken, for the business was not paying
at 1903 and 1904 prices.
Before making changes, it was
necessary&to thoroughly understand
every feature of the business and ia
milfafize ourselves with every market,
consequently the board of directors,
acting on my advice, authorized the
mana yer to visit every Eastern berry
market where we could lay our berries
powujin good condition. AS a result
of the information gained upon that
trip and the improved methods used.
tbe&strawberry growers netted 81 cts.
more per crate on 1903, GO crates, which
meant net ploit of just So2, 400 more
in 1906 to be divided among abont 2JI
growers, or on an average of sboui
$l6l more net profit to each straw
berry grower.
speak of this because | wish tc
9lldsSfsrte the Importance OF the APP
ple Union sending it's manager to in
gestigate Elstern markets, aye, Euro
lpean in the end, to- get acquainted
with the trade and learn how, tc
whom and where to sell our apples tc
get the highest prices, and let me say
the day is not far distant when this
Union win send its manager to Eur
ope.
Your present board and the man.
agement have worked increasingly tc
secure all the information possible
along this line and when l took charge
of YOUR business we had Just one firm
on the Apple Growers Union books,
outside Of Oregon, just one address,
Lindsay d. Co. of Helena, Montana.
Today we have on our books the big.
gest apple buyers in America and the
address, financial standing and de-
tailed reports on every fruit buyer ol
firm on the American continent.
We are in regular correspondence
with over IS of the principal European
appie firms and little later | viii
read you a few extracts from thell
letters.
There are but few of you who are IL
a position to be sufficiently famlllal
with affairs to realize how much Worf
all this has taken and few can compre
bend how difficult it was to secure al
this information. 1t was not easy tc
obtain the names and get in CORE
spondence with European firms, thu
very ones whom the American firm
wa sell to do business with. Our New
York buyers we're reticent and Englisl
firms conservative, but your Board o
Directors have backed up the manage
morally and untiringly and let me sa!
right here, never acted with NOR
honorable, hard working board, TO
each one has given one half day ono
every week for over eight month
without compensation. They are Ger
stainly entitled to most enthusiast
vote Of thanks for their goo1 work
for In addition to their regular asso
citation work they have built you
warehouse, costing $1,000, tnancln
the deal, which is not an easytask. b
the way they have raised the none
and purchased a site for your owl
Union box factory, costing s33OC
which has been paid for, and the;
also have saved you s25O0 on appl
boxes, $1,000 on spray material, an
$1,000 on wrapping paper. a.,
Without question you cannot mel
but admit and appreciate the fact tha
your. Union and its board OF director
have secu ed for you higher prlc
on every variety of apples than 20
ever received before. Let me impres
on you, gentlemen, this is wonderfT