The Kennewick courier. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1905-1914, 1912-10-11
WHAT ARE We TO
DO ABOUT IT?
Poor Returns from Peach Crop
Shows Folly Of Continuing
Halfway Organization

The peach crop of the Kennewick
Valley, consisting of from 100 to
1875 carloads, has been harvested
aid sold and the peach growers are
Just about as we'll off as if they had
had no crop at all. The returns
from the crop have paid the cost of
harvesting and marketing and that
is about all, leaving the grower with
a healthy appetite and a nice collec-
ton of callouses to show for this
seasons work.
The above are facts which there
is no need of trying to hide or side
step. II is a condition which simply
must ut met and worked out, the
same as other problems have been
and will be solved in connection
with the development of this dis
trict. Time was when for a news
paper man to proclaim publicly
that this valley was subject to de-
structive frosts was considered almost
high treason. After few years of
crop failures from this source the
growers woke up to the fact that
the frost evil had to be faced
squarely and SO now with nearly
every orchardist owning orchard
heating apparatus the frost bugaboo
has lost nearly all it's terrors.
Just SO with the problem of OBJ
tanning profitable prices, which we
are facing now. 1t is foolishness
to think that by keeping still and
saying nothing the matter will some
how adjust itself and that perhaps
next year things will be better. The
question right now is: Will or will
not through organization and CO.
operation of every grower help solve
the problem? Ifit will, by all means
let's have it. If it won't, why main
tain the expense of a selling associa-
ton? This is the first matter which
should be settled, by big get
together meeting Of officers and
members of the association and those
who are not members. If at such
meeting it should be decided that
the association should be maintained
and strengthened by cooperation
OF all the growers, then let US try
our best to make the association a
real and powerful organization and
do away with the halfway methods
which are said to have hampered
and turned into failure the work of
the organization this season.
The Commercial Club of North
Yakima, where they are facing the
same conditions, recently held such
a meeting and The growers had the
opportunity of listening to several
addresses on the subject of Cooper
ation." State Senator Paulhamus
Of the Puyallup Valley, probably
the largest berry-producing section
in the state, was one of the speakers
and we give below some extracts
from his remarks:
/ cannot tell you what to dol
can tell you what we have done. !"
He then told of few of the won
ders that had been accomplished in
the Puyallup Valley, where condi-
tons are worse than they are mere,
for their output is largely berries,
more perishable and must be has
tened to market more quickly than
the peaches and apples of this re-
gion. Some of his facts and figures
may be summarized.
The Puyallup Valley Fruit
growers association was organized
five years ago with less than 100
members, having nine directors,
each of whom wanted to be presi-
dent and run things himself. Its
capital stock is 50, 900. Its mem
bership has grown to 1900, and the
TACT that it has succeeded in getting
slA 900 in debt is a sign that it
is IN good shape and is doing busi-
ness. That debt will not look to be
so large when it is known that the
members of the association are the
principal creditors.
Prior to organization the growers
received 40, SO and 60 cents per
crate for their berries. They have
oeen able to add 81 per crate to the
ngures and now receive 81 40, $3.50
and s1.60 per crate. The growers
TX the price, not the buyers. They
are enabled to do this on account OF
owning a cannery of their own. At
tne end of the first year of the op-
efatlon of the cannery it had gone