The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1909-01-28
UtI0N TAKES ACTION
AGAINST PORTER BILL

I'm an open letter to the OregonisD
Ii. NJ. Huxley manager ot the Hood
River Arplo Growers Union, states
that formal action has been taken by
theunion in opposing the Porter bill
and calls attention to some features
in il that have not heretofore bSen
mentioned but which will he extreme
ly detrimental to the apple industry
sf the Northwest should the Porter
bill ne passed. We publish below the
features which Mr.. Huxley calls atten-
tion to and also Il copy Of the resolu-
tion passed by the directors
"There is one very important point
involved in this Porter bill, which
seems to have escaped the notice OF
the fruit growers in general through
out the Northwest territory, and this
is incoI porateG in Section 4, pertain
ing to grading, as follows: mo.
grade and quality shall consist OF
healthy, well grown apples OF one va
Iiety, sound, Of not less than 2lq
inches in diameter, and of good color
tor the variety; Of normal shape, and
no less than 80 per centum free from
scab, worm holes, bruises and other
defects, and properly packed. "
The size mentioned, 2la inches III
diameter, is "a four tieT apple, and the
Hood River Valley and other apple
growing sections throughout the
Northwest have always packed perfect
apples less than = inches In diameter
into 4lo-tier and D tier pack, and Ia
beled them Fancy" or No. Grade. '
You will readily see that this propos
ed bill will eliminate all Az and D
tier apples from the fancy grade anC
class them as second grade fruit
This would work an incalculable hard
shin upon the apple industry through
ou. the Pacific Northwest, as at Ieast
80 per cent OF fancy fruit now shipped
east under the No. ! or fancy grade
is smaller than 2l2 inches in diem
eter.
We believe the passage OF the bill
referred to would be a severe blow t
the apple industry in the Northwest.
Hood River Apple Growers Union
Per II. M. Huxley, Manager.
In order to officially bring the pro
test which growers here are making
against the Porter bill to the att Ten
tion of Congress a resolution has beel
prepared which will be presented t.
the legislature. Copies of 1t have
been sent to Senator Sinnott and Rep
resentative J. l.. Carter who are aske
to have the Legislature memorable
Congress against the passage of th
bill The resolution il as follows:
RESOLUTION.
Resolved, That the Hood River Ap
pie Growers Union represen ting 20
OF the leading apple growers of HooC
River valley, does most earnestly pro
test against the passage by the Con.
gress OF the United States OF bill
known as the Porter Bill. II. K
2l,400, being bill concerning "Stan
dard packages, grades and marking o
apples" for the reasons hereinafte
TO be stated as follows:
The growers of the Hood River val
ley have through long, diligent ant
intelligent eff ort arlived at STANDARD
method Of packing the apples grow
in this vicinity; that the present boz
used by the growers In packing ant
shipping said apples has reen rounC
through experience to te the one bes
adapted for this purpose, and enab''
the grower to maintain uniformlt,
and beauty in the arranging and pack
ing of the fruit that cannot possibl!
be had in any other sized box o
package, aud that the adoption of
box OF different Dimensions from tha
nGw used by the fruit growers o
Hood River valley would entirely de
stroy the system of packing now II
general use by said growers, and tina
1t would require at least two years t,
rearrange and perfect, it possible,
pack adapted to the box proposed /,
said bill that the adoption of TO!
of the Dimensions proposed in tht
Porter Blu would cost the growers 0
the Northwest over one million dol
lars annually, by reason Of the dishr
rangement of its methods of Ions
standing which have contributed mos
materially to the high standard O
Hood River apples, and by reason Q
the fact that the grower would b,
compelled to bear tho loss of the sur
plus fruit necessary to I'LL the box, a
proposed by the bill, without any ad
ditional compensation; that it is i'm
possible for the grower to make tn,
apples 1T the box but that the ho,
must be shaped ta lit the apple; tina
the box in present use by the grow
eIs in this valley Is the one eXactI!
adapted to the fruit; that there ar,
now two boxes in general use by tn,
packers aud growers of this vicinity
one containing 2l73 cubic inohe
without swell in the center, the othe
containing 1900 cubic inches withou
swell in the center; thai the box o
each class is given one half inch awel
on each side which adds 300 cubic
inches to the dimensions above given
aud that the contentA of each of saiC
boxes therefore contains packin,
area largely in excess of the Winches
tjr hushel of 2l50,4 cubic inGehs.