Los Angeles herald., 1909-12-30
FRUIT GROWERS
TAKE TROUBLES
TO GRAND JURY
UGLY CHARGES MADE AGAINST
OFFICIALS
HORTICULTURAL COMMISSION is
UNDER FIRE
-.
Sliding Scale of Charges and Use of
Secret Spray Are Accusations
Against the MeserVe
Regime

H llG WOl kings Ol the county
horticultural commission, A.
Il K. Meserve at its head, Err
vim Dingle, chief deputy, and the
large body of inspectors who
have so great a power for good
or evil in caring for the interests
of the thousands of fruit grow
ers throughout the county, are
under the fire of investigation by
the grand jury. Several fruit
growers have petitioned the in
vestigating body to. give them
some relief from what they as
sert is the abuse of this power.
The investigation was begun
yesterday by a committee of the
grand jury following the receipt
by that body several days ago of
petition signed by {. ]. Morri-
son, ]. J. Nabb, w. B. Smith and
other citrus fruit growers Of
Downey, i'll which, it is said, they
complain that the inspectors
working under Meserve and
Dingle make eXtortionate charges
for spraying trees and compel the
use of a certain spray, the form
ula of which is known only to the
commissioner and his subordi
mates. Thus, they say, the COM
missioner and those working
under him have formed a verita-
BILE spray" trust.
Charges Taken Up
Commissioner Meserve, Deputy Din
gle and several of the petitioners were
called in a body before the grand jury
committee yesterday and remained in
the jury room more than an hour.
I'VE are merely seeking relief from
the abused power of the commission
and its inspectors" said c. ]. Morri-
son, one of the petitioners. yesterday
II think 1t is time to call a halt when
an inspector can command fruit grow
ers to spray their trees every three
weeks and compel them to use one
particular spray for the killing of the
damage to the trees and fruit than to
the insects"
Mr. Morrison exhibited a number of
oranges showing the effects of the
spray used by the horticultural COM
missions inspectors and fumigators
and other fruit from trees which, he
said, had not been sprayed during the
past year. The difference was marked,
the sprayed fruit being colored black.
green and sickly yellow, while that
on which the spray had not been used
was of the highest grade.
Says Sliding Scale Was Used
'The work of the inspectors and flu
migators has caused a widow to cut
down beautiful sixteen year-old or
ange trees because she could not afford
to pay for fumigation more than the
trees could produce" said Mr.. Nor
rison. 1.-The same is true of an ad-
joining place, while the trees Of c.
Smith, who owns a nearby orchard,
were twice fumigated this season and
resulted in a destruction of the crops
The scale is still on the trees"
Regarding alleged eXtortionate
charges made by inspectors. one of the
petitioners said he could bring a fruit
grower to the grand jury room who
would testify the first n~'ca demanded
for spraying and fumigating was 50 a
tree, and when he said he could not
afford this amount the price was re-
duced to $3.50. then to 81, and finally
to a bargain counter price of so cents,
1.-The spraying of trees for the kill
ing of pests is an excellent idea, and
l am heartily in favor of 1t, If the work
is done properly" said another fruit
grower. what the growers object to
is the use of the horticultural commits
sion's office for the purpose of extor-
rion, and the grand jury should inves-
tigate to discover if 1t is being put to
such use."