The Kennewick courier. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1905-1914, 1913-02-28
Strawberry GROWERS FAIL TO
Unite ON METHOD OF MARKETING
divided on Question Forming Entirely New Organization
Meeting to be held Tomorrow to Consider Proposals Of
Yakima Valley Association


Vonnewick valley met in the Com
mercial Club rooms on the after
noon of Feb. 22nd, to further con-
slider the question of an organiza-
tion for the purpose OF marketing
the strawberries of the valley.
H. W. Desgranges, chairman, in
,roduced Geo. Newton, manager of
the White Salmon Fruit Growers
Association, who told the assembled
growers how success was attained at
White Salmon. He said that by
securing the marketing through the
association of large majority Of
the berries grown in their valley and
/ adopting strictly f. o. b. system
Of sales Of all frst-class fruit, their
association, after hard fight and
some losses, had finally secured the
adherence of all the growers of their
section and had been able to secure
fair price for all their fruit.
He said that one of the most diff
fcult things to secure was an abso'
lutely honest pack; but by rigidly
adhering to their rules and rejecting
500 crates out of a total of some
14,OO0 they had been able to estab-
lish a reputation that was worth
many thousands of dollars to their
growers. He said that all fruit
growers were naturally inclined to
be crooked in the matter of hand
/ ling their own fruit and that some
of the worst offenders were officers
of their own association. Now that
the rule of rigid adherence to an
honest pack had been established
and the f. o. b. system understood
by the buyers, more orders came in
than they were able to fill. He
urged the growers Of Kennewick to
get together on the same general
system, saying that it would not
only be greatly to our advantage
but that it would help White Sal
mon also, because where so many
were marketing their fruit indie
pendently, the markets were sure tc
be demoralized and prices conse.
quently suffered.
. The president of the Kennewick
District Fruit Growers Association
was then asked to state what that
association could do for the straw,
berry growers of the district.
Mr.. Hart admitted that the as.
sociation had apparently fallen
down in it's effort to market the
berries last season, but claimed that
there were causes not under its
control, among them that its mem.
oership controlled only some % pei
cent OF the shipments from this
district and that the competition
was OF a nature so ruinous that it is
not likely to occur again.
He explained the system under
which the association proposes tc
market strawberries this season,
stating that the whole business had
oeen turned over by the central as
sociation at Yakima, to our man
Ssement here and that central would
send their sales manager to make
MS headquarters here during the
'aawoerry season and assist us in
oil ways possible.
Mr. Perham, the sales manager,
man of wide experience in
sales management and has had
special experience in handling ber-
res His assistance and advice
VIII ", be of the greatest value to us.
nls coming is conditional however
W our securing a sufficient percent
ase OF the whole acreage to justify
such a move.
M Hart also explained the new
method of payment of membership
ise' zee adopted by the association and
o'nsf =; matters which will be found
sa s detail d in a report below, and
s a4sily urged upon the growers pre-.
pns: .ne question of giving their
undivided support to tho assoc;..