The St. Lucie County tribune. (Fort Pierce, St. Lucie County, Fla.) 1905-1920, 1909-10-08
|)P[N LETTER
| TO GROWERS
.,.,aI Agent f.P.POrcher Gives
INT Interesting Review of Work
YARNS PINEAPPLE MEN
|. !. C,,rus Exchange Should be Limited
|. MARKETING Citrus Fruits Until They
t.,ahl;sh Reputation 10 Marketing

oa.o General Agent, Indian River
! lake Worth Pineapple Growers
ISOLATION. m, "a. o,a ,ooo
ltor TRIBUNE: e..;,,,
plorida Citrus Exchange, nor is our
ISOLATION fighting the Exchange, -
n v;ew of some recent articles in
"soers and some agitatiO" by in
so,tad parties - as to the Exchange
t ti the pineapple growers to sign
~ fine said exchange it is oppor-
.s-and only right in every way
y | draw attention to the following.
Sor Association, for handling the
ssaoples. was formed in 1895. at
rh time the industry was in worse
Milton than during the past season
Isying been in the hands of the late
Brda Fruit Exchange, with disastrous
mlts. saw many accounts for hum
IA Of barrel crates for season OF
Y that did not net an average OF 10
IA Der crate. Growers were talk
Of buying no crates, and shipping
n pines in cars with racks in bulk.
Me took hold of the marketing prob
n-arranged for the use of the pres
standard pineapple crate - induced
use of paper wraps = and have for
rteen years handled the Association
TX with landings ranging from 30
70 Der cent of the crop - and with
averages, the lowest, until the past
son, being from $l.lO up to $2.O'
per crate. =.
Dur association work was the sole
ans of putting the industry back on
aying basis. 1t has been of immense
eht TO the pineapple growers. 1t
paid them in rebate commissions
gross sales and claims over $780, 600
he fourteen years of our work.
has made some enemies through
sonaI differences and its failure
ording to some growers ideas as to
netts made for them. We have
len an absolutely square deal to every
Pwer. Wehave accounted every year
the past season-fOr every crate of
es shipped to us. We have out
hiding claims on some cars the past
son-that failed to pay charges and
be claims are beng vigorously
ssed
Ne invite any grower to make his
tement and We will publish, with his
sent, a full statement of the fruit
handled for him, the sizes, when
pped, to whom sold and show why
De OF it brought low prices.
Practically every just claim has been
ected, but We have not attempted
force payment by transportation
Pple of unjust claims, where loss has
ulted through the inherent weakness
the fruit or through bad weather
dltions making it carry badly.
Ask any railroad man for a full and
criticism of the association work
shipping and tracing, as conducted
me as general agent and hear his
".
he difficulties of the past season -
worst in the fourteen years we have
dled the association, marketing of
East Coast Pineapples, were not of
making, hut due to Cuban and
70 Rlcan competition, home COM
g.on, and markets depressed through
u agitation, with large amount
mall sized fruit and a lot of fruit
arrived in more or less bad order
q we sum them up do not amount
ne disaster that some shippers are
calming. We want the facts. We
them at hand and are prepared to
uuce them, and now make the asser-
'nat we have made better net aver
lor our shippers land we have
a'ed a very large share of the crop
we past season. than any other firm
aa agency, taking the whole
ur books are not complete, owing
ome outstanding claims, but they
accounts for large lots. from all
IONS with nets ranging from .65
= per crate to $l.3l net per crate.
,ere are accounts with US for over
crates that range from .78 cents
W "a cents net. There are &C.
'.s with us for over 1000 crates
w 10 5000 crates that range from
cents net to $l.l cents. net. One
He largest accounts we had, abOu,
W crates made u low, average
y through arriving in had order
quite lot of fruit running t.
nsse things have pulled down oul
ke, but the record stands, tina
"svs made a record that is simpl.
veriul In the face of conditions
looked disastrous.
w'aer distribution was made thar
oelore known, one hundred ant
markets being used, and we CLAIM
with out the very efficient worl
W our association the lndial
= ana Lake Worth Pineapple grow
association and ito sales agents