The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1912-04-13
CITRUS EXCHANGE
HASSUCCEEDEDTOO
WELL TO SUCCEED
Says w. c. Temple in Outlining
the Present Situation Confront
ing That Observation-Disclosures
tant Meeting of Directors.

What was probably the most i'm
portant meeting of the board of di-
rectors of the Florida Citrus Elk
change was held at the office of Gen
eral Manager w. c. Temple when the
approaching convention of the Flor
ida citrus fruit growers was discussed
at considerable length and the pres
ent status of the exchange and the
situation that confronts it was talked
over
That, without the cooperation and
financial support of the Florida grow
ers, it will be impossible to conduct
the exchange in the future as it
should be conducted in order to at
tain the objects for which it was es-
tablished and to bring to the citrus
fruit industry of the state the ben
efts that it is the desire of the men
who compose it to bring, was the con-
census of the meeting.
Outlining briefly the situation and
urging all the members of the eX-
change to be present at the meeting
Secretary W. c. Temple issued the
following bulletin to all the sub-ex-
changes, associations and special
shippers at its conclusion:
I'VE wish that every grower who is
a member Of the Florida Citrus Elk
change would personally solicit his
neighbors who are not members OF
the Exchange - especially the ones
who are producers of 1000 boxes or
over of citrus fruits-and urge per-
sonally and strongly said outside
growers to attend the great conven-
ton of citrus growers to be held in
the Tampa Bay Casino at o'clock in
the morning of Thursday, April Is.
I'VE have secured special rates
from all the transportation companies
in the state of Florida, except the
c. H. & N. railway, which rate will
probably be, for the round trip, sim
gle fare plus twenty-five cents. Def
mite information concerning this will
be given you later.
cat this meeting, the entire condi-
ton of the affairs of the Exchange
will be laid freely and frankly before
the convention; everybody will have
voice: and it is extremely important
that every citrus grower in the state
of Florida should be personally in
vited to be present at this meeting,
SO that they may see what is done
and have a voice as to whether the
citrus exchange shall be continued or
discontinued.
"It is therefore of great Importance
that the associations call meeting
of their members and read this bull
letin to them, and urge upon every
member the necessity of not only be-
ing present himself at this conven-
ton, but of securing the attendance
of all the outside growers in your vi
cinity Now is the time for the grow
ers who are the members of this or
ganization to get together and do the
work that should have been done in
the past three years by them, and
which they have neglected; and we
trust that no grower who is a mem
Der of this organization will neglect
this duty, so that he may have cause
in after years to feel that he is re-
sponsible for what might have
hopn
"A
pie gave out the following interview
with regard to the present status of
the Florida Citrus Exchange and the
situation that it is now confronted
by, reviewing briefly the history of
the Exchange since its organization,
which has been done in general way
for the growers of the state, whether
for the industry in general, and ex-
planning how the Exchange stands and
why, if the necessary support is not
accorded it, dissolution must follow:
Succeeded Too Well to Succeed.
THE situation as lit now exists is
that the Florida Citrus Exchange has
succeeded to we'll to succeed.
What 1 mean by this is that the
Exchange in it's natural operation as a
marketing agency has had success
SO phenomenal that its own success
threatens it's downfall The first year
the Florida Citrus Exchange secured
for the growers affiliated with it an
average price of S1.15 a box for all
the oranges shipped by the Exchange,
I o. D. cars pdChiuS uOuSS. lis
price, while very low from the pres
ent viewpoint of the grower, was a
much higher price than was obtained
the preceding year and was a con-
siderably higher price than the aver
age for the state the year of the Elk
changes first operation.
The second year the Exchange
raised the average price thirty-six
cents box f. o. b. cars packing
house, making an average of s151
f o. b. cars packing house, for all
the oranges shipped by it's members.
This was a much higher price than
had been received for some time, but
in the opinion of the Exchange off,
cials was much lower than it should
have been and these officials believed
that the one principal cause for this
low price was the pernicious and
growing habit of shipping immature,
unripe fruits earlier in the season
than any fruit should leave the state
Having two years experience dur
ing which every factor had been
closely observed in which to form this
opinion, they felt confident that that
opinion was the correct one The ex.
CHANCE oh