The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1912-04-19
Citrus FRUIT EXCHANGE
VIII Probably Live and Continue Its
WOrk-WeH Attended Meeting
in Tampa
tTampa Times. 1sth)

| That the Florida Citrus Exchange
will continue its existence. building up
the citrus growing industry of this
state to even greater degree of
prosperity than in the past. is indicat
| ed by the attitude of the more than
500 citrus growers attending the
nual convention of the exchange at
the Tampa Bay casino today. The con-
vention will continue through tomor
row
! The convention opened this morning
at $50 o'clock in the Tampa Bay Ca
sino. Throughout the addresses of the
speakers before the convention the au
| dience followed closely the discussion.
of the needs of the exchange. and the
necessity for cooperation and unan-
unity among growers of the state. The
assemblage in the auditorium included
| many of the most prominent citrus
| growers in the state.
In opening his address before the
convention, General Manager Temple
stated that four years ago the citrus
| growing business in Florida in
chaotic state. Several years previous
| to that time Mr.. Temple had been in
California, connected with the citrus
business in that state, and during that
time the citrus business of California
| had enjoyed the best prices in its his
| tory.
When the Florida Citrus Exchange
was organized the men behind the
movement had two ideas in mind: An
endeavor to secure greater coopera-
| tion among the citrus fruit growers of
the state; to secure results in ship
ping. and handling fruit, and prices
equal to the results secured in Cali
fornia.
The first year the estimate of the
exchange placed the citrus crop at T.,
500. 900 boxes There was shipped g.
100000 boxes, of which the exchange
shipped 100000 boxes at $3.50 per
box. On account of the heavy freeze
the shipment of the next season was
diminished. so that only $4,000 boxes
were shipped the following year thru
the exchange, but the price was rails
ed through the efforts of the exchange
from $1.35 to $3.50 f. o. b. The organ
iZers of the exchange were not dis
couraged, and felt that the results of
the second year had vindicated the or
ganization in the eyes of the growers
of Florida.
At the beginning of the third year
the general outlook for the exchange
was gloomy The end of the second
year had shown that the exchange
shipped $4,000 boxes of fruit and was
in debt $4,000. At that time Manager
Temple and several others agreed to
advance $4,000 each for the interests
of the exchange. Notes were made for
| the balance of the Indebtedness.
With the close of the third year ap-
preaching, it was found at a meeting
of the directors of the exchange in
March, that in spite of the advance of
| thirty five cents per box over the sec
ond year the exchange was not sue
cessful in securing the cooperation of
| the growers. The first year the ex-
change shipped 25 per cent. of the
crop; the second year this dropped to
19 per cent; and the third year it had
dropped still lower, to Il per cent.
| At that time it was decided that if
| the exchange went out of business on
| the first of May, sufficient funds could
/ be cleared to pay expenses and dis
solve the organization. The directors
| then decided to call the growers to-
gether and ask whether the Florida
Citrus Exchange should be kept alive
| or disorganZed.
| "The managers of the exchange feel
that the organization has made good"
declared Mr. Temple "GroveS are
selling today for $1,000 per acre that
| four years ago could have been bought
| for 5000 per acre. The exchange has
| three times raised the price of fruit
for the Florida growers during the last
lyear. The machine is prepared, the
| train is ready. but we must have the
steam"
Coming directly to the point, Mr..
i Temple declared, There is no bluff
about this going out of business. The
Citrus Exchange has no excuses to Of
| fer, but the growers of Florida may
have to make many excuses to them
selves later if they let this organiza-
tion go to ruin from lack of support.
The exchange for the past three years
has had to fight it's way with from IS
| to 80 per cent of the fruit in Florida
against it. This organization has been
the target for all kinds of abuse and
slander The exchange will not at
tempt to fight 100000 boxes with the
niggardly allowance now al the COM
mand of the exchange"