Rocky Ford enterprise., 1908-01-17
beet GROWERS
ARE BOILING
They Met Saturday Only to
Learn that Price was
Cut Hall a Dollar
A new CONTRACT
is OUT FOR 1908
Az . Big Rally Win - tssd Set
urAay Week to Discuss le

or0ay Week To Oeoeoos 1s
The adjourned annual meeting Of
the Otero Co. Beet Growers Protee.
tive Association met in Odd Fellows
hall last Saturday afternoon to hear
the report Of their grievance com
mittee. named the previous Saturday
| to wait upon the sugar factory mana.
gers at Rocky Ford and at Swink.
II was the popular belief this years
meeting had passed of with so little
manifestation Of dissatisfaction on
the part OF the growers with their
consumers that everything was Sc
rene in this branch of our local az.
riculturc. But half the week had
hardly passed before the Association
found il had not been reckoning with
the head Of the table. The fac.ory
people announced that they intended
to pay only $3.50 per ton for becss
that tested less than IS per cent OF
sugar. The news OF this decision
had travelled far enough before the
second meeting. held Saturday, to
develop n good deal OF wrath in the
ranks OF the growers. and the meet
ing Saturday was well attended.
There was all the hall would hold
and many more than IL would seat.
Hon. w. II. Ebbcrt. the president
elect of last Saturday. took his placc
and begun his new inaugural by an
nouncing his surprise at his rc-clec-
ton to the presidency after a period
OF retirement: his appreciation of til:
honor. And his determination to re-
tire again as soon as the Association
found time to determine upon his suc-
ccsSor.
In very forccfui and rather warm
arraignmcnt OF the corporations dis
regard OF labor's rights Mr.. Ebbcrt
delivered n twenty minutes address.
touching on the proposed reduction
OF the price for beet growing.
The chair then called for the re-
rort OF the Grievance Committee. and
i, was made by Roy Blakcy Of Man
zanola. supplemented by Burt Brown
OF Wictzcr. These gentlemen rccitci
quite fully the interviews had with
Managers OF the Rocky Ford and
the Swink factories. They had spcn;
some three hours with Mr.. Wictzcr
and about one hour with the manager
OF the Swink factory. They had
learned from the former that A. B.
s. Co. purposcd revising their con
trac; with the growers this year so
that only $3.50 per ton would be paid
cent of sugar. Mr.. Wictzcr had ac-
clarcd that the average sugar contcn;
for the past seasons crop had not
been more than 1877 per cent. and
that only about 10 per cent of the
crop had gone over IS per cent. At
Las Animas the average had been
lower, at Lamar still lower: the
farthcst east the worse il had got.
This was the reason given for depart
ing from the SIS fiat rate OF last year.
On the other points, Mr.. Wictzcrs 3
reply was that he had no knowledge
of any agreement ever made to aban-
don the dump charges after the col
lcctions had met the first cost of the
dumps. and he did not anticipate that
the dumpagc fee would over be elm.
mated. In reference to the price of
seed he had said that it had been the
intention of his Co. to make it IS:
per lb. But he had urged that the
raising OF the price would cause tn:
grower to plant sparingly and the re-
suit would be poorer stand of bee,s
which would be a disadvantage to
both the grower and the factory.
Being asked if the Co. had ever lost
on its sale. of seed he had replied not
until this year when so much had
been supplied without charge for re-
planting after the late frost. He had
said there would be no change as to
rules of irrigation. except that they
would insist on less irrigating at
times when water was calculated 10
lessen the sugar content of the beet.
This was the substance of Mr.. Blak-
ey's report, which he amplfied with
intcrjcctions of criticisms as he went
along.
Mr. Brown briefly said that the
Swink management had told the
committee that while their factory
did not come into the field with any
intention of beating down the price
of beets they would be governed in
general by the same rules as the A.
B. S. Co. insisted upon; that they
were not in position to make any
better terms than other factories
Mr.. Danicls-whom the meeting S
enthusiastic reception of would ind:-
cate that they took him for Daniel
come to judgment-got the floor and
wanted the sense of the meeting ta-
ken Immediately on the $3.50 per ton
| question-whcther to grow or not to
grow?
Chairman Ebbcrt advised that the
question be not settled too precipi-
lately. He seemed to think the meet
ing might have more sense il it went
slower. He. cited the fact that in the
northern part of the state las win
ter the growers had very hastily and
unanimously resolved not to grow
bcets on the terms offered by the fac
tories, and they had just as unani-