The San Francisco call., 1909-01-15
BANANA TARIFF
IS SOUGHT BY
TIE GAMERS
Free Import of Fruit Is De-
clared Injustice to Cali
fOrnia Growers
Reduction of Duty on Tin Plate
and Sugar Also Favored
by Association
Annual Convention Is Marked
by Heated Debates and
Lively Tits


ners' league, held yesterday afternoon
in the rooms of the chamber of COM
merce in the Merchants Exchange
building. sparkled with activity from
the fall of the chairman's gavel at 10
o'clock in the morning until adjourn
the evening the differences that in
spired heated debate during. the day
were smoothed over at a banquet at
the Fairmont hotel.
The session included a discussion of
the pure food law; decision to ask
for reduction In the tariff on sugar
and tin plate and the creation of a
tariff on bananas; an indorsement of
the Fulton amendment to the rate law;
request for a line of government
steamships to Panama; the considera-
tion of suggestion for the readjust-
spirited row over the use of labels, In
which Isidor Jacobs and George H.
Hook of Sunnyvale INDUCED in sharp
exchanges. 1t was busy day and it
wound up with the reelection of all
the officers for another term.
DISPUTE OVER LABELS
The dispute over the use of labels
came near the end of the session, after
Hook had spoken of the difficulties pre-
sented by the strict regulations i'm
posed by the state and the government.
Jacobs followed and charged that the
difficulty arose from an endeavor of
some Gamers to make use of labels
counterfeiting those of other concerns.
He made use of the word fraud" and
what threatened to develop into a live
ly encounter was checked by the in
reference of Secretary II. c. Rowley,
who occupied the chair at the time
The question of the tariff was intro
duced by E. E. Case. who advocated
reduction in the duty on sugar. C.
H. Bentley followed and argued for a
reduction in the tin plate duty. He
pointed out that tin plate was sold
cheaper abroad by American manufac-
turers than it was at home. Bentley
followed with a plea for a duty on
bananas. It was argued that the
banana was the greatest competitor
that California fruit had to meet. This
fruit comes in free of tariff retails at
small price, and this, it was contended,
injured the sale of the California fruit
product. The league decided to ask
Bentley to go to Washington to argue
before the congressional committee for
the reduction of the tariff on tin plate
and sugar and for tariff on bananas
PURE FOOD LAW
Professor NJ E. Jaffa, the state ex-
pert, spoke on the pure food law. He
favored the extension of the law to in
clude the inspection of factories and
announced that the analysis of animal
and poultry foods would soon receive
attention. It is further his intention
to make examinations of the mineral
waters of the state and to make public
the results.
H. P. Dimond, secretary of the Dried
Fruit association, urged the union of
his organization with the Gamers
league. The Gamers met the sugges-
tion with an offer to cooperate. but
preferred to retain their separate
entity.
Joseph Durney spoke on the question
of freight rates. He announced that
it had been indicated to him that the
railroads would restore the rate on
canned goods to the former figure of
75 cents If the Gamers would agree to
an increase in the carload minimum
from 10000 to $4,000 pounds. The sug-
gestion was referred to committee with
power to act. On the committee are
Walter NJ Field, c. L. Tilden and r. I.
Bentley. 1t is stated that the commit
tee is favorable to the suggestion.
ASK OLD RATES
A resolution had been previously
adopted asking the railroads to restore
the rate to its former basis. In addi-
ton, resolutions were adopted asking
the state legislature to give favorable
consideration to the Fulton amend
ment to the Hepburn act and to the
proposal that the government operate
a line of vessels to the isthmus. The
resolutions also call upon congress to
consider the matter and urge the Cali
fornia delegation to favor both
projects. The Fulton bill calls for the
suspension of proposed railroad rates
until the interstate commerce commits
sion passes on their reasonableness.
These matters were intrusted to a
legislative committee consisting of
Isidor Jacobs. Charles Griffin and
Walter NJ. Field.
The officers, all of whom were re-
elected, include: President, L. F. Gra-
ham of San Jose; first vice president.
f. f. Stetson; second vice president.
Isidor Jacobs; secretary, Howard c..
Rowley; treasurer, Jay Deming; execu-
tive committee, C. L. Tilden, r. I. Bent
ley. Walter M Field, Andrew Griffin
and j. H. Hunt.
n ncc