The Emmett index., 1913-09-18
COOPERATIVE SELLING
EMPHASIZED
Yakima Valley Fruit Growers
Used as Tools by
Independents.

fruit situation in the Yakima Valley
where the fruit growers place.
themselves at the mercy of an inde
pendent association-so plainly thai
comment seems unnecessary. The
circular in part follows:
The desperate situation in the
peach market is so well summed up il
the Yakima Bulletin by Mr. Sichles
that we are sending you the bulletin
in full in order that our growers may
learn the lesson contained in the stu
alton as it now stands. The situation
in the Yakima Valley illustrates the
necessity of making our slogan "Get
Together, Pull together, win" the
main spring of our efforts; and il
would seem that the lessons of this
season would be sufficient for the
growers of the entire Northwest
Why should we wish to repeat these
fearful losses when there is no neces-
sity?
Tn grower who continues on the
outside because he wants to see how
the Distributors succeed is only fore
stalling their efforts and delaying the
emancipation that their work would
bring him if he would only give them
their tonnage, and so prevent the re-
petition of the losses that have come
this year to the peach growers
through the use of the large tonnage
in Yakima against maintaining the
markets as they could have been.
The apple grower can well take warn
ing and get into the association while
it is yet time. Had the element op-
posed to cooperation been without
the tonnage it is easy to see what TIE
results would have been. Not only
would the Yakima growers been
100000 better off but the growers
in our districts would have received
the legitimate reward of their labors.
Mighty far reaching is this club of
the opposition when supplied with the
tonnage and in the hands of the oper-
ator whose only object is how much
can 1 make for myself and who knows
no sympathy for the grower.
The following is the Yakima Bulle-
tin:
"This bulletin is written on Friday
evening, September 5th. Six things
have characterized the peach situa-
ton in Yakima Valley today.
81. The buyers on commission row
have been paying 25 cents for peaches,
occasionally 80 cents, but the prevail
ing price has been 25 cents.
"2. Some of the buyers are not
buying at any price, and hundreds of
boxes are being sent back to the ran
ches.
"3. ]. NJ. Perry, Richey & Gilbert
and other dealers are receiving hum
dreds of boxes on consignment.
az. The Randolph Fruit company
is receiving many hundreds more on
consignment with 20 cent unguar-
anteed advance.
"5. The independent shippers are
quoting peaches freely to the trade
at 80 cents; some few are still cling
ing to 35 cents though they have had
many orders cancelled which were
placed at that figure.
"6. The association is selling all it
can load at 35 cents.
"Three things can be said with en-
tire certainty concerning the general
situation. We nave neither time nor
space to demonstrate these state
ments, but their substantial truth |
cannot be questioned
81. There is absolutely no reason
in the general crop and market condi-
tions of the country of the Northwest
why we should not receive 40 and so
cents for every box of peaches ship
ped from the Yakima Valley.
"2. Not single additional car of
peaches will go into consumption be-
cause Yakima has cut the price to 80
and % cents.
"3. Except in isolated cases, the
consumr will not buy his peaches
one penny cheaper because we have
cut off ten to twenty cents from our
profits. The middleman will take all
that. Mr.. j. H. Perry and his fellow
operators, backed by many growers,
have compelled all the growers of
Yakima Valley to surrender.
Why then are the growers of Yaki-
ma Valley, who need the 100000 of
which Mr.. Perry and his peach-grow-
ing followers are depriving them if
ever men needed money-why are
they selling for 80 cents product
which is worth so cents? We know
the lie will be again told that the as
sociation is responsible because it is
,utting prices. This statement has
been repeated now for three yars and ;
hose who repeat it either know it to
be false or else know nothing at all I
about the matter.
The Association has not been cutt- (
ng prices; it has done very much to