The Emmett index., 1913-09-18

maintain prices and has already saw
ed many thousands of dollars to the
growers. What has happened is this:
The Distributors, having an intimate
and extensive knowledge of market
and crop conditions, fixed upon so
cents as the price which the grower
ought to receive for Elbertas two
weeks ago today. A "gentleman's
agreement" joined that all would
unit in maintaining that price. The
Distributors quoted so cents and be-
gan to move out cars at that price
as fast as they were ready. The
/ Distributors trade connections and
customers report that first Per-
ry, then Gilbert, Hayes and others
were quoting at 40 cents. The worst
blow came when our salaried agent
at Butte wired that the Horticultural
Union had sold seven cars to old GUS
toners of ours at Butte and Missoula
for 40 cents; failing to get the busi-
ness with five cent cut they in
creased it it ten cents. The trans
action was denied by the Union on
Tuesday but was positively confirmed
by our agent and by the customers
themselves. The Distributors could
not hold so cents with all others
quoting 40 cents. and so dropped to
As cents. There they held for time
! demonstrating that they could be-
cause of superior packs hold much OF
the business at 45 as against the
outsider 40. But as the number of
cars sent out increased rapidly, it
was found necessary to drop to 40
cents or else take the chances of ac-
cumulating a great string of cars
tramping to Eastern markets. AT
| 40 cents the markets were ours, and
at once the Independents again led by
Perry dropped to 35. In order to
make this drop possible and reduce
the growers to a proper state of sub
mission, on Saturday of last week
they executed one of the neatest and
most successful strategic movements
we have ever seen; we must admire
them for it. They began the day by
buying at 80, then at %, then offer
ing 20, then they refused all offerings
and sent a score of ranchers
thoroughly cowed and scared back
to their orchards with their peaches
in their wagons. On Monday morn
ing the growers were in humble
state of mind, ready to eat out of
their masters hands and take what
was offered them. Thus was the
way cleared for 35 and 80 cent quo
tations to the markets. Again the
Distributors held part of the trade at
five cent higher figure, but again
the danger of too large a number of
tramp cars recurred. The Distribu-
tors did not think it wise to permit
conditions which might make it possi- |
BILE for the disaster of last year to re-
peat itself and so again met their
competitors prices. Once more the /
market is ours, but Perry, the Yaki-
ma Produce company and other ship !
pers are again engaged in price cut
ting and 80 cent peaches are now be-
ing offered. We do not know what
will result.
When one remembers the repeated
~, fnl1ArrnA tho
growers of Yakima Valley for years
past, think of the sore straights of
many of them and the heroic strug-
giles they have made to win out in the
fight, realize that this year there had
come at last the time when success
was within their grasps and seemed
assured, and then recalls
the story of the last two weeks with
its deliberate price cutting by ship
pers and fatuous exhibition of suici-
dial folly by the growers, it stirs the
intensest sympathies and kindles
ones anger to point where restraint
is difficult Two hundred thousand
dollars lost, absolutely thrown away
by Yakima growers, and God knows
they needed the money.
How can these things be avoided?
o-operation--that is
the remedy, the only known remedy.
Every student of economic science
and businss conditions, every govern
ment department and expert, every
experience of every. successful fruit
teach and insist that
only in cooperative organization can
safe action be found.