The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1909-04-08
ANNUAL MEETING
APPLE GROWERS
GOOD ATTENDANCE, NO QUORUM
Resolutions Adopted and General
DiScusslon-Financial
Statement.

Rivre Apple Growers Union was cal
led to order in the X. of p. hall, Sat
urday morning by PresideRt McCurdy.
Although there WAS good atten
dance, it was found upon roll call that
no quorum was present. On account
of the large number of stockholders
most of which hold from one to ter
shares OF stock, it requires q large at
tendance, in the absence of proxies
to make quorum, 1t appears there
was but little effort to secure proxies
from those who did not attend.
While no regular meeting could bt
held, it was decided to hold an in.
formal session, and Secretary Sproat
read the financial report ard copies
were distributed to those present.
Two apple boxes bearing the label oi
the Davidson Fruit Company were
exhibited, MIR. Sproat explaining
that they hal been received with 4
few others flom Steinhardt d Kelly,
OF New York. There was nothing Oh
The boxes to indicate where the ap.
pies which had been shipped in the
boxes, we're grown, the label simply
stating that the apples had been Gin.
sreoted and shipped" hy the firm.
The New York firm reported to the
manager OF the Union that the apples
were of an inferior quality, aud the
reputation of the real Hood River
article had been injured thereby.
A warm discussion followed, and the
following resolutions unanimously
passed 10y those present:
Whereas, in case brought before
the United States district court ci
the western district of Missouri.
Judge Mcpherson decides that tood
package is misbranded under the
National Pure Food Law when as the
exact reading OF the statute states,
'the package or label of which shal
bear any statement, design or device
regarding such article which shall bt
false or misleading in any particular,
and to any food which is falsely
branded as to the territory, state OF
county in which 1t is manufactured
or produced.
Whereas, ia the case above mention,
ed, a Michigan firm sold Kansas City
firm number Of packages of Arkan,
sas blackberries under the follt winl
label: "Tepee First Quality BIauk
berries, packed by 9. Ii. Godfrey q
son, Benton Harbor, Mich" The
goods we're seized by the U. S. Mar
shall, and the firm placed under bonds
to properly brand their packages.
Aud whereas, we recognize
strictly analogous case when durinl
the past few seasons apples tron
other localities we're toisted on the
market under the following label, viz
extra Fancy Apples, Inspected ant
Shipped by the Davidson Fruit Com
pany, of Hood River, Ore. "
Therefore, Be it resolved by tn,
Hood River Apple Growers Union
that the incomIn2 board of directors
are hereby authorized and instructed
to cooperate with the U. S. depart
ment of agriculture in suppressing al
such piratical business methods il
the future, and with that end IL
view they are hereby authorized tC
secure the services OF competent de
tectives to secure evidence for pre-
sentation to the several u. s. district
courts 10 the several districts wherein
such pernicious methods are used
And, resolved that we call for th,
aid of the citizens of Hood River val
ley and especially so for the cooper
alton of the Hood River Commercial
Club in our efforts to end such flag
rant violations of law and OF upIigh
business methods, recognizing tina
okanAtnn
ing stigma on the tair fame and re
putation of Hood River apples.
Whereas, We realize that the aggres
sive and successful work done b,
Steinhart & Kelly of New York, il
publishing to the distributing trad
of the large cities of the east, merit
Of the Fancy apples packed and ship
ped under the label of the Hoo,
River Apple Growers Union has re
suited in the placing of our organiza
tion in the unrivalled aud unques
toned position of furnishing to th
trade the very faneiest of this claes q
fruit grcwn in all the wide world
And Whereas, The firm of Stein
hardt q Kelly has conducted sue
cessul campaign in exposing tn
sham fraud, and deceit of having ap
| pies grown in other localities, packed
| labelled and sold to the trade unde
the false and misleading presumptio
that such apples were grown in HOG
| River, as has been done by the David
son Ffult Company for several season
past,
Therefore, Be it resolved that th
heartiest thanks of this associatio
ale hereby rendered to Steinhardt
Kelly for the work they have done j
the east 10 all the above mentione
line.
An adjournment was taken unit
afternoon, and there being still II
quorum present, several matters q
interest to growers were discussed. i
III. Sephard made an interesting tai
on the work of the association, out
lining plan of other larger associa
tio1s, and suggested some change /
methods which he predicted w0ul
soon have to be made He cited th
fact OF the Wenatchee union sendin
a man Go England with six carloads {
apples to market them in that Cou1
try, to get in touch with foreign Gus
toners and their methods, and woI
up better market for their apples
tie said that other districts whic
we're producing large output of al
plies we're employing various method
OF marketing them, and that one plaC
employed broker in the large easi
eIp markets to handle their trui
on commission Of Sl5 car. lie sal
that while Hood River had been abl
to bring the buyers here to bid on th
apples, when we had $500, 600 boxes t
sell it would be hard work to get buy
ers to come here and take the whol
crop. The cold storage warebous
would be big factor in marketing
big crop. The earlier varieties ooul
be held here and worked off gradually
while ii they had to be all shippe
aud disposed of at the beginning
the season it would mean big slum
in price.
A. Niehans sskad whether there WI
any check kept upon the work