The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1911-07-20
UNION WILL
INCREASE STOCK
LETTER TELLS SUCCESSFUL HISTORY
Organization Sends Output to All World
Markets = Success Due to CO-Opera-
tive Methods.

Urging Hood River orchardists to
e'advantage of securing a block of
the new stock offered by the Union,
and their cooperation toward the sue
cess of one of the Northwest S best
selling agencies, Manager c. II.
Sproat. submits the following commu-
nication:
Up to 1903 the selling of apples in
this Valley was simply a question OF
the several individual growers accept
ing one or two propositions, namely,
to accept any old price offered for
their fruit by local buyers. or shipping
same to Portland to be sold on an over
supplied market. The general run Of
prices for the bulk of the crop was 6Oc
for Fancy Gravensteins, zoe for Kings,
and 75c to 81 for Fancy Spitzenburgs,
and other varieties in proportion.
The best cleared orchard land in
Hood River Valley was selling at from
$40 to $75 per acre, and Hood River as
an apple producing section was un-
known east of the Cascade Mountains.
Some of the growers, realizing that
the industry of growing apples under
such existing conditions was failure,
the Hood River Apple Growers Union
was organized by them IN the spring
of 1903. The capital stock was estab-
| lished at $1,000; there were "a original
subscribers to the capital stock. they
| taking 81 shares at $40 per share, and
paying first assessment Of $3.50 per
share, making the total cash capital
$l52. So This amount of cash was very
soon exhausted and the newly formed
Union found itself without money,
without credit, without reputation and
practically without friends, save its
loyal members, and it wassmet every
| where with dark and dismal prophesies
that it would be an ignominious fail
ure, and many there were who would
have been mentally delighted and
| financially benefited if such had been
| the case.
But the results are as follows: Our
membership today is about $50 mem
bers. We handle about so per cent of
the apple product of the Valley. Our
credit exceeds our requirements. From
no reputation and no market in 1903
our high class goods are pointed to by
the commercial fruit world as the
model for all other producing sections
to pattern by and our market this last
season was in 2s states OF the Union
in 6S different cities aud cur output
| also from markets IN China and over
all of Europe ard every rywhere met
with unqualified approval at prices the
highest to be realized 10 the markets.
Our net assets are upwards of
S45, 900. 90. Our capital stock from
81, 900. 90, $l52.50 paid up IN 1903 is
now $50, 900. 90, $25 10000 paid up.
| Our warehouse facilities from moth
ing have grown to a capacity of up
wards of 10000 boxes; We have a
large cold storage plant, and we are
installing ice and refrigerating ma
chinery capable of caring for several
times uur presnt Hood River facilities.
We have large shipping facilities on
the Mt. Hood r. R. and are building
additional warehouses. We own several
thousand dollars worth of real estate in
the center of the city Of Hood River
on which we propose erecting large
cold storage plant in the near future.
We also have good surplus of cash on
hand.
Unity and harmony have always pre-
vailed among our stockholders, with
very few exceptions, and the members
of the several Boards of Directors
have always worked in unison, with
out pay and always with the supreme
thought in view to act for the welfare
of Hood River Valley as a whole works
indirectly for the benefit of every or
chardist in the Valley.
| We now ask the orchardists Of the
Valley who are not members of the
Union to not only consider the above
statements, but we further ask them
| for their aid and cooperation by join
ing with Us in extending the scope of
the Union. This can be done by sub
scribing for block of our new stock
issue of $25, 900. This stock is actually
worth about per cent above par, but
will be sold at par, thus putting all
new members on the same basis as the
old stockholders who have built up the
Union to its present status.
This stock is guaranteed to pay per
cent annually and is of itself good
| financial investment and is now on sale
at our office. Payments for this stock
can be arranged to suit the conven-
ience of the buyer. We will take his
note drawing 8 per cent interest, pay
able within one year, and will specify
that if not convenient to be paid when
due, an extension may be had payable
at convenience of buyer. The Union
can by endorsing them use the stock.
holders notes at our several banks,
should we desire to do so. We hereby
guarantee that all money obtained
from the sale of this stock issue will
be placed in reserve to be used for
increasing our cold storage warehouse
facilities, thus placing the apple busi-
ness of the Valley or a permanent
business basis.
BY joining this Union you become an
interested factor in one of the best
selling agencies of its kind. and we
fully believe your aid and assistance
will not only stregthen US, but will
result in much benefit to yourselves.
In closing, we urgently request our
orchardists to call at.our Office and let
US fully explain any detail of mforna-
tion desired.
Hood RiversApple:Growers' Union,
by c. H. Sproat,
Manager.
~ a.