The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1911-06-28

atchee farmers They are wholly
pra cticable in any producing 6istri.t.
They may be made the basis f a
central selling agency when they are
perfected and are built to command
the confidence of the producers and
the respect OF dealers, and the for
nation of such an agency will be a
livery pie matter then"
That editorisl in the Republic was
written many months ago when the
organization of the Yakima Valley
Fruit Growers association was in 4
more or less formative period. and
contained the views of Col. Robert
son at that time.
| Nobody, SO far as the Herald
knows. has AS yet suggested the nre-
! cipitate organization of the VIII lie
northwest under central selling
agency. At any rate. if such 81,
! eastion has been made by some
hasty minded enthusiast. 1t has not
received the support of those whose
interests are involved. 1t would APP
pear. then. that MIR. Shepard has
merely stuck up a man of straw to
knock down. and in addition to that.
has taken facts as they existed
months ago, and waited until now to
put them into print
Mr.. Shepard thinks that no dis
trict has as yet been thoroughly or
ganized. He says:
NO district is vet thoroughly or
ganizsd. and in the districts where
there are associations. up to the
present writing no association has
yet succeeded in getting all OF the
growers to become stock olders or |
shippers through the association. The |
Hood River Apple Growers Union
probably has greater per cent of
growers than any other association
About eighty-five per cent of the
apple growers in Hood River valley |
are members of their local organza-
ton"
Here we have another man OF
straw. 1t goes without saying that
no district is. or ever can he So
thoroughly organized that it VIII
comprehend every grower. without
exception. in the locality. Even the
best friends OF the cooperative
movement are opposed to such COM
plete organization as this, as it
would in turn provide evils incident
to monopoly that would be worse
than the evils that are sought to be
avoided by organization.
What. then. is the purport OF the
matter? Is it that the time is pro-
ptious for discoura ging the cooper
ative movement? This is hardly iEs-
ly. for Mr.. shepard lived in Calf'r-
mia in the history of that struggle
between the commission men and the
orange growers and he knows that
before there was cooperation on tie /
part OF the growers many OF thom
were forced out Of business a I'd dug
up their orchards because the had
no successful system Of marketing,
and that the industry was only re-
vivad after the organization of
most perfect co-operat system
He also knows that in 1901 Hood
River Spitzenbergs sold for so cents
and sI.oS per box: that in 1901 a
association was formed
that. insofar as its local features are
was modelled after the
California plan. with which he was
very familiar, and MIR, Shepard
helped formed that sssocia ton. In |
1902. the first year after the asso Ella
ton was formed Sptzenhergs sold ~
s1.75 box: in 1908, they sold for
s. a box. He knows that il is or
ganization that has given Hood I
r iver the place it holds in the apple
markets of the world. Now. last
why he does not know how to advise
others on that subject. we do 1,t
quite see, unless it may he that 10
does not care to have other section;
50 perfectly organized that they will
become rivals Of Hood River