Polk County observer. (Monmouth, Polk County, Or.) 1888-1927, 1911-01-27
APPLE men SEEK union
LEADING GROWERS OF THREE
STATES MEET IN PORTLAND.
Efforts Made to Establish Central Sell
ing Agency to Handle the
Entire Crop.

Representing an aggregate capital
of $50, 600, 900 invested in apple orch
ards and an output of 10000 cars
yearly, having a value of from $6,000,-
900 to $4,000, 900, more than 100 apple
growers from Oregon, Washington
and Idaho gathered in Portland, Tues
day, for the purpose of forming
National selling agency of sufficient
breadth and width to control and dis
pose of the apples produced in the
three states mentioned.
The convention was called to order
by President Atwen, of the Oregon
State Horticultural Society. Frank w.
Power, of Portland, was made secre-
tary. A committee on credentials was
selected and they made report in the
afternoon. The call of the convention
specified that the object of the meet
ing was to form a cooperative selling
| agency and to provide some means for
apple box legislation. Suggestions
were rendered as to the best plan of
procedure and discussion disclosed the
fact that the appointment of a COM
mittee should be made to work out a
plan.
Problems of Organization.
c. f. Whistler took the lead ii the
debate and contended that the difficult
ties of the undertaking were, first, the
method of establishing grades and, sec
ond, what should be done with regard
to the division of the receipts of the
selling agency. Should there be
Jackpot" created, as the speaker
called it, in which all should be given
an equal share ofthe proceeds, or
should values be placed upon the ap-
pies of each district and division of
| the receipts be placed on this basis?
The only opposition to the plan pro-
posed came from the pessimistic tone
that prevailed through the talk of f.
II. Shepherd editor of Better Fruit,
! published at Hood River Although
the discussion lasted throughout the
day and the speakers were numerous,
| Mr.. Shepherd could not see the light
as advanced by the more hopeful in
! the plan of creating a central distrib-
utive agency for the output. He main
tanned that there was no way for a.
organization-at least he had heard of
no plan-which would equalze the
values between the apples produced in
the various districts. He was certain
/ that there was no chance for over
production. That he regarded as a
bugaboo created by the railroads and
| the press.
No Over Production.
"All Government statistics" said he,
! that have been able to get hold of,
all the information that 1 have gath
cred, and all of the interviews with
old-time nurserymen go to show that
over production is impossible, in ap-
pies, at least. There is no such thing as
| over production in this country in any
| food product. There may be faults of
distribution in the sales end, but to
talk of over production for a contnu-
Gus number of years-that has never
occurred and cannot occur in any
known food product"
"I am told" said another speaker,
that the railways figure that the
wheat area Is worth $14 an acre for
tonnage purposes; lumber is wortl
SIPS per acre and when the ac"e is
consumed its productive power is
gone. Orchard land is worth 1925 per
acre and good for all time. 1t would |
seem from this argument THAI the
railroads should do everything rhcy
can to encourage the industry from a
tonnage basis Now l lost during the |
past year, from $500 to $1,000, due to
delays in handling the produce, d2-
lays which We're absolutely unncces- /
sary This / cannot afford. Nor can .
any producer, for it will soon put him
out of business. I remember reading /
that railroad president, when cross
examined in a hearing before a com
mission, stated that it was absolutely |
impossible for a railroad to avoid
giving the Standard Oil Company the
best of service, for they had men at
every division point tracing their own
cars"
Union Plan Urged.
81 am i'm favor of organizing a CEN
trail apple selling agency" said c. Z.
Whistler, of Medford. II am not at
liberty to say just what plan is best
for organization of this agency. I am
in favor of the local apple orchardists
forming unions. These are local CO.
operative concerns. They will have
charge of the packing and establish
ment of uniform grades under the sup
ervision of a directory board which
shall give directions for the proper
presentation of their fruit for market.
These local unions will have nothing
to do with the marketing of the APP
piles. This I would place exclusively
in the hands of the central selling
agency.
The success of this plan rests in the
complete control of the sale of apples
through the agency TO be thus estab-
llshed. l believe that such an agency
will result in great saving to the apple
growers and make the industry the
one great source of income to the
states involved.
THE agency will employ salsemen
throughout various centers of the
country. They can find means for the
development OF the trade and thus
widen the market To my notion the
apple selling business is wrapped up
as much IN the selling end as in the
gathering end. The distribution of the
fruit Is a grave question and certainly
every apple grower today is aware Of
the fact that the iudiscriminate man
ner in which il is being handled today
zA |.