The Wenatchee daily world. [volume] (Wenatchee, Wash.) 1905-1971, 1910-07-26
To ARREST SEATTLE
PRODUCE MEN
Doing Business Contrary to
Statute Aimed to Pro
tect Producers.
LICENSE COMPULSORY
Must Also Put Up a Bond
as a Surety-No Record
at Olympia.

Seattle, July 26.-Every commits
sion man on Western avenue is an
open and fragrant law-breaker, &C
cording to the provisions of section
O24, Revised Statues of Washington,
and liable to maximum fine of
$500. The section reads as follows:
1T shall be unlawful for any per-
son, firm or corporation to engage in
the business of selling farm, dairy,
orchard or garden produce on COM
mission, or to receive or solicit con-
signments of such produce on COM
mission in the state of Washington
without first obtaining license from
the commissioner of horticulture to
conduct and carry on the business
of such commission merchant, and
giving a bond to the state of Wash
ington, executed by surety COM
pany authorized to do business in
this state, the form of said bond to
be approved by the attorney gen.
eral, for the benefit of persons in
trusting such commission merchant
with consignment of produce to be
sold on commission, in the sum of
1900, said bond to be conditioned
for the faithful performance of his
duties as such commission mer-
chant"
A careful investigation of the
books of the state horticultural COM
mission in Olympia yesterday re-
vealed that not a commission man
in Washington has complied with
section 1924, which was made a law
in 1907.
For three years and more the
Western avenue commission men
have openly ignored the law passed
for the protection of consignors and
growers of produce.
Consignment Business Says POwles.
]. B. Powles told the joint COM
mittee of the Hotel, Restaurant and
Stewards association that about 60
per cent of the business of Western
avenue was consignment business.
Maximum Penalty $500.
Every commission man on the ave-
nue. has rendered himself liable I'M
der section 1882 to a fine of not less
than $25 nor more than $500, &C
cording to the penalty clause.
In commenting upon the state
statutes for the government of COM
mission merchants, Elmer E. Todd,
United States district attorney, said
that they seemed to be stringent
enough, if enforced, to prevent COM
bination for control of trade on
Western avenue, and also for the
protection of the producers.
Provides for Civil Suit. =
The protection that is afforded the
consignor of produce within the state
is shown in section 1881, wherein it
is provided: IF any commission
merchant shall make any sales of the
produce mentioned upon commission
and shall fail or neglect to pay the
amount received upon such sale, as
hereinbefore provided, the owner or
consignor of such produce may bring
an action on the bond given by such
ice y,nrahonf nnHnr tho
visions of this charter, and recovery
may be had against such commission
merchant and the sureties on said
bond for the amount due such owner
or consignor."
Combines and Pools Illegal.
The same act also provides
against combinations, pools, ETC.,
among the commission men. Section
1882 reads:
cit shall be unlawful for any per-
sons engaged in the business of COM
mission merchants to enter into any
combination, conspiracy or pool for
the purpose of artificially raising or
depressing the market price of any
farm, dairy, orchard or garden pro-
duce, or for excluding from the mar
ket the produce of any particular
locality, grown or manufactured by
any person within the state of Wash
ington."