The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1910-03-10
HOOD RIVER IS
AGAINST BOX Ill
JOE WILSON GOES TO WASHINGTON
viii Represent Apple Growers UniOn
And Commercial Club In Opposing
Lafean Bill BesOre Congress.

Joseph A. Wilson left Saturday for
Washington, ID. G., where the hearing
of the Latean apple package bill will
come up betore the House Committee
on Agriculture the latter part OF this
week. MIR. Wilson went east as thu
representative of the Hood River
Commercial Club and the Hood River
Apple Growers Union to enter the
protest of the Hood River valley
against the measure which proposes
to make standard apple box which
ie unsuitable to the pack put up by
the growers 10 Hood River and the
entire Northwest. While in Wash.
ington Mr.. Wilson will stop at the
New Willard hotel and 90 operate
with II. Ii. Whistler, of the Rogue
River valley, W. X. Newell, president
of the state board of horticulture,
end other representatives OF the
apple districts of the Northwest in an
effort to show the evil effects of the
till.
Several boxes Of Hood River apples
we're taken along and practical de-
moustration of the local methods will
be made and it will be shown to the
solons at the national capital that a
change In the size and shape Of the
box will make it impossible to keep
up the excellent pack which has made
the Hood River and other northern
districts famous. The bin proposes
to FIX as standard box 80 slightly
larger in each dimension than the one
at present In use and one which will
hold few more cubic inches. Ex-
periments we're made here last week
with the box described in the law
and 1t was found to be impraoticable
as package tor the Hood River
product.
MIR. Wilson emphasized the fact here
and will bring 1t to the attention OF
the committee oa agriculture that the
very Eox which the law proposes to
substitute is the one that was discard
ed by the Hood River covers just ten
years ago and that to have it forced
on this district again would almost
have the effect of putting the pack
back where 1t was ten years ago.
Should the law be adopted the only
alternative lett for Hood River is to
mark all the boxes used at present
''short package" which in itself
would lead the buyer to look with
suspicion on the package bearing
that legend.
The bill is being supported by the
growers and commission men of the
east, beroause on the one hand any
thing that will hinder the progress of
the northwestern grower Is received
with great glee by the eastern growers
and on the other because the jobber
thinks that for the same price he may
be able to get more apples In the box
which Is prescribed. The Colorado
"a overs are also supporting the bill
because they use the tumble pack
and it makes little difference ia
them what the shape of the box IL
and as a matter of fact many OF them
are still using the old fashioned pack
age.
The bill also contains number OF
worthy features with regard to the
grading of apples but the rules laid
down In the proposed law are not
nearly so strict as those already in
f)Tce with the Hood River Apple
Growers Union so that 1t would make
little difference with the local growers
on that score. Ii would have the ad
vantageous effect OF keeping lot OF
very poor spples entirely off the
market which now glut the eastern
cities and tend to pull down the
prices for both the poor and the good
fruit.