The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1908-01-17
FRUIT GROWERS
TO CARRY WAR
TO WASHINGTON
Hold Mass Meeting to Plan
Fight Against Ban Put
on Sulphur
Agricultural Department Is Ar
raigned and Officials
Bitterly Scored
Committee of Delegates From
All Parts of State
Will Go East

A mass meeting of fruit growers
from all parts of California was held
at the ferry building yesterday to
organize fight against the ruling of
the United States department of ag-
riculture forbidding the use of sui
phur in the process of curing decidu-
Gus fruits. Torrid talks were the or
der of the day, and it was finally de-
cided to carry the war to Washing
ton by sending a delegation there
which would present the plea of the
fruit growers to DIR. Wiley, chief of
the chemistry bureau, who made the
hated ruling. This delegation will con-
sist of one member from each of FIVE
general fruit growing sections of the
state, the San Joaquin, Santa Clara and
Sacramento valleys, and the north bay
and south of the Tehachapi districts
each being represented by one dele
gate Arthur R. Briggs, president of
the California state board of trade,
will also go on as delegate at large.
Fully 200 fruitmen gathered in the
rooms of the state board of trade.
where the meeting was held. The
growers were wrought to a high pitch
of indignation against the agricultural
department and speeches In which Dr.
Wiley and his bureau were severely
arraigned and their motives impugued
were met with loud applause. Several
speakers intimated that the ruling.
which was made under the provisions
of the pure food law, forbidding the
use OF poisonous or deleterious sub
stances In the preparation of fruit, was
actuated by motives which were vari-
ously described as of ignorance, cap
tiousness or a desire TO forward the
interests of some patent method of
drying.
RULING INJURIES INDUSTRY
The contested ruling was made about
test of the growers made at that time
for further investigation. The result
of this indefinite action, the growers
declared, was to seriously injure their
business because of the suspicion thus
cast upon California fruit. 4 resolu-
tion summarizing the grievances of the
planters was adopted and ordered for
warded with the delegation which will
go to Washington.
President Arthur r. Briggs of the
California state board of trade opened
the meeting, stating 4the purposes for
which the gathering was called. He
was elected chairman of the conven-
tion and A. L. Mcdonald secretary.
Judge N p Chipman of Sacramento
declared that the question. before the
meeting was whether a process of
drying and curing peaches and april
cots which had stood the test of so
years use and had received the ap-
proval of the worlds markets was to
be completely eradicated by a ruling
of the United States government made
without adequate knowledge. of condi-
tions. Judge Chipnan urged drastic
action
Noah G. Rogers admitted that fruit
when dried by the sulphur process con-
tained a larger percentage of sulphur
than that allowed by the ruling OF
the agricultural department., but de-
clared that when the fruit was cooked
and prepared It's volume had been so
much increased by the addition OF
water and other ingredients that the
percentage of sulphur was far less
than that specified in the departmental
ruling. A motion that a delegation be
appointed to go to Washington was
then discussed by w. A. Schaffer OF
Fresno county, c. w. worthing of Sen
Jose county; Colonel John P. Irish, who
announced himself as from Placer
county; WILDER Walker, secretary of
the merchants exchange of Oakland,
and Prof M. E. jana, director OF the
agricultural experiment station, of the
University of California.
DOUBTS AUTHORITY
Judge ]. c. DAILY of Ventura county
then arose and declared that he did not
believe in the policy pursued by the
fruitmen of trucking TO bureau en-
ployes of the United States govern
ment- He questioned the right of the
agricultural department. to make such
a ruling and then suspend it. He said:
IF California fruit is deleterfous to
the public health. why. of course the
industry must die" said Daily but
we fruit growers demand that the de-
partment show proof Of SUCH Judge
DAILY said that he was backed by a
solid phalanx of fruit growers of ven-
tura county. He said they had author