The Wenatchee daily world. [volume] (Wenatchee, Wash.) 1905-1971, 1910-09-01
APPLE PACKING SCHOOL IS
BADLY NEEDED IN VALLEY
Fruit Growers and Dealers Worried About Inability to
Secure Experienced Packers to Handle Enormous
Apple Crop-Good Wage Paid but Few Are Com
petent to Take Charge of Packing Crews

packers in the Wenatchee valley to-
day, according to fruit dealers. Yet
a crop of apples over twice as large
as ever before harvested here is
about to be picked and packed.
Packed? Well, that is a question.
When? How?
Labor has been coming into the
city attracted by the fruit harvest.
Most of these people are without ex-
perience. AS pickers they may prove
of service. The ranchers hesitate to
take green hands into their packing
sheds.
Two years ago j. c. Eakle con-
Quoted a packing school. He began
early in the summer and coached
his pupils while putting up the sum-
mer fruit in attractively packed
boxes. The school was a success.
The teacher was well repaid for his
time. The learners were well pre-
pared for the fall packing and made
good wages. The growers were for
tunate in having competent help to
handle the largest crop they had yet
gathered.
This season no such school has
been organized Estimates on the
size of the crop are being raised to
higher figures every day. Growers
are beginning to wonder where the
packers will come from to prepare
the apples for the market.
Various remedies are being sug-
gested. 1t may not be too late even
yet for some experienced packer to
open a school. He might make an
arrangement with the Fruit Grow
ers association to do some work for
them on Such a basis as would prove
mutually profitable.
VIM. Turner will employ green
hands and place an experienced fore
man over them to give instruction
and oversee their work so as not to
allow any poor work to go out.
J. w. w. Macdonald, at the can
merry, will train about Is packers,
but these are solely for his own use.
He is advertising a proposition in
viting the grower to bring the fruit
to his quarters, where it will be
scientifically packed. Some object
to his offer on the ground that he
wants also to market the fruit,
whereas some of the perplexed grow
ers have already contracted to de-
liver.
Conrad Rose is of the opinion that
The situation will clear up. His OBJ
seryation is that this scare arises
every year, but that conditions natur-
ally adjust themselves. If worse
comes to worst, ranchers can bring
their apples to the cannery basement,
is the suggestion of L. G. Odds. He
states that $4,000 boxes could be
placed in cold storage in bulk to be
packed at the leisure of the owners.
At the warehouse of the Fruit
Growers association, President Hol-
comb suggested that card or want
ad put in the Pr. or the Spokesman
Review would bring all kinds of
packers to this city. He was remind
ed by J. B. Rosger, who represents
J. B. Powles & Co., of Seattle, that
no such scheme would bring any re-
suits in his city. All the good pack
ers are in the employ of the COM
mission houses and would not think
of forsaking a steady job to come
out here for month or so.
w. G. Michaels called attention to
the big wages to be made. An eff
ficient packer easily averages 100
boxes per day. The usual wages are
based on or cents per box. The
beginner is a poor stick who cannot
make two or three dollars per day
almost from the start. After a little
practice a person ordinarily bright
and quick gradually increases his
speed.
With such wages to be earned
when the training required is a mat
ter of only few hours instruction,
the situation can surely be met if it
is faced with determination and in
telligence.
1t has been found that young wo-
men and girls are the most rapid
and efficient packers. They require
the help of man to lift the boxes.
If a. serious condition arises and the
crop is endangered, a systematic
plan will be adopted to secure women
helpers. With wages of $50 per
week in sight for two months work,
Wenatchee can surely secure enough
women to pack the entire crop.