Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1912-02-07


supply department handled $500 car
loads Of shocks, about 25O,OOO worth
fertilizer, q large quantity Of nails,
labels, and minor supplies and Il
spent with the newspapers Of the
country for advertising, to promote
sales and educate grocerymen to the
use OF newspaper space, the sum OF
100000, which will be increased to
Sl5OO0O during the coming year.
With its splendid organization, the
Exchange has been able to do very
considerable brokerage business for
other organizations OF farmers and
fruit growers, who have had all the
advantages gained by the Exchange
through years of experience for a
small brokerage fee, the latter, how
ever, being about enough to pay for
bonuses given to meritorious sales
men, a plan which, the manager re-
ports, has so far proved remarlSa-
bly, successful and has been the
cause of more efficient service
through healthy rivalry on the part
of all employees to excel each other in
doing their very best"
Considering what these men have
done in the face of great obstacles,
is 1t any wonder that they are proud
Of their achievements or that they
are prepared to make "the fight Of
their lives when they believe that
an attack is aimed at the structure
sc laboriously built up? Suppose,
for moment, we look at a statement
which has recently been put out re-
garding them and their business:
California shipped 1S,0O0,0OO boxes
Of citrus fruits In 1911.
This fruit was produced by 10000
farmers.
The citrus industry supports 1907
600 people who are large consumers
of the products Of other states.
Fine California seedless navels,
now eaten by everybody, are selling
for $1.O0 a box less than the seed
lings formerly imported.
Fine, bookkeeping California lem
ons are selling for less than imported
lemons Of four or Ave years ago. AS
the California lemon industry devel-
opes and the supply increases, the
prices will be still lower because ci-
trus fruits are perishable and must
be sold.
As the cost Of production consists
largely of labor, the California ci-
trus industry could not have devel-
oped without tariff duty to equal
lie the cost OF labor In this country
and abroad.
This industry is the best illustra-
ton of the benefits Of protective tar
if; It supports 10000 people; II
furnises an important article OF food
for all Of the people; 1t has greatly
improved the quality and has re.
duced the prices that prevailed when
the consumer was furnished with i'm.
ported fruit alone.
Without California competition the
orange and lemon business would be
in the hands of small group OIL
New York importers now combined
with small group In Italy TO breal
down the home industry, and wheI
so broken, to increase the price o.
lemons.
For the first time In American his
tory, foreign exporters have openly
and brazenly organized, raised al
immense slush fund and tried Il
break down the home industry
which Is supporting an army o
American people.
For the first time an organized
foreign trust has had the audacity h
attempt TO eorruptly shape legisla
ton In the United States. What tn,
trust would do If successful is show
by the price OF lemons in Canadi
where there is no duty and wher,
the retail price is as high as in thi
country.
Should they succeed in killing tn,
industry in California they woult
make prices from day TO day and tn,
consumer would pay higher pricI
for a porer quality Of fruit.
During the heat of last summer
when the importers in New Yorl
were reshipping the italian lemon
from New York to Europe to advance
home prices, California shippe'
100000 boxes to the East and com
PEELED a reduction of SO box be
tween June and August.
Without this contribution fron
California prices would have soare'
to $40 or $3.50 a box, as did occu
each year before California had
sufficient crop TO compete, and tn
importers would have wrung million
of dollars from the suffering public
The average Wholesale price o
Italian lemons in New York In Au
gust, 1911, was $3.50 per box, or les
than 10 cents per dozen. The aver
age wholesale price during August