Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1914-12-11
pRUNES FROM SALEM
FOR HALY'S king
H. S. Gle & Co. Make Ship.
ment for Direct Delivery
to Victor Emanuel

lt may be - Rome Tor the Romans
and Italy for Italians" but it is Viii
lamette valley prunes for the palace Of
King Victor Emanuel, of Rome.
TO the Willamette Valley Prune asso
citation, through the agency of II. ).
Gile & Company, of this city, belongs
the honor and distinction of being the
first American fruit distributiv,
agency of shipping evaporated pruncs
for the exclusive use of the kings pal
ace at Rome, shipment of part car
load Of the famous Pheasant" brand
of so'cnlled italian prunes from Salem
for direct delivery to the palace being
just about due for arrival at the capi.
tai of Italy and dish of this deli
cious fruit will probably form an i'm,
portant part Of his majesty s menu for
the big Christmas dinner.
Makes Big Hit With Kings Steward.
When Mr.. Gile, manager of the firm
of Gile & Company which handles the
products of the Willamette Valley
Prune association exclusively, was in
Europe in the early spring of the pres
ent year he made n special trip to
Italy to study up market conditions
with II view Of opening up trade rela
tions with that government and he
found that the italian government was
strong on the proposition of "patron-
izing home industries" to The extcn
that there was no foreign fruit on sale
in the open market in the great histor.
zeal city of Rome. He made inquiry
about prices and exhibited his sam
pies with the result that the first or
der that he placed Was from the king g
steward through an American broker,
a former Ncbraskan, who supplies the
kings palace with fruits Of all kinds,
for a part carload Of Pheasant brand
prunes for direct delivery 10 the palace
for the kings consumption.
Opens Up a Big Market.
For several years the Willamette
valley prunes have found ready and
open market in France and England
where several carloads are shipped an
nually, but this is the first time that
Oregon prunes, or those Of any othc
state in America, have been shipped I,
Italy, and through the benefits to b,
derived from this shipment Gile {
4 Company expect to receive orders 70
numerous carloads every year in fu
! ture. II was not supposed ON accoun
. Of the cheap labor and other condi
tions existing in Italy that the Amcri
can product could compete in the opc
@ market with the local product. but Nh
Is Gile found that Oregon prunes cou
e be laid down in Rome for a little les
g than eight cents per pound, upon tn
J. basis Of ~ cents Per pound for 4t
10 sos I. o. b. here and including freight
G. duties, etc, and retailed ont to a prof
N in Rome against the Italian produc
which retals at from 10 to l7ia cent
!. per pound.
h Nothing Like Them in Italy.
l. Mr. Gle also made n diligcnt scare
le through the growing districts d
N Italy in the endeayor to trace the lin,
N age Of the Oregon Italian prunc (whic
1t is really the German pruue, probabl
y called Italian in trn.distinction I
~ the French or petite prune) but III
ID only prune he found that was dric
there was whnt is called the d'Ameli
e. prune, n much smaller and much swee
l' cr prune (Which grades to about 81
s. S5s) than the Oregon Italian, aud mi
III is only cured in quantities not to @,
lr cecd 100000 pounds each year. I'll
'e Italian brokers were delighted with III
N Oregon sample, stating that they ha
80 never before seen such mscior
o. prune, and the indications are that Il
entirely new and prospectively prof
u able market mas been discovered an
v made available TO the Willamette va
ct ley product
10 Prunes via Panama Canal 10 Liverpo
10 To II, $, Gilc & Company Of III
y. city also belongs the distinction of ha'
" ing made the first shipment Of Ofcgc
w prncs direct to Europe via the Pan
ne mn canal this firm having shipped
w curloHd Of Willamette valley prun
-. direct to Liverpool, England, fro
y Portland through the Panama cant
q, The shipment left Portland on Mover
w Der p Of this year M II trial shipmru
y The Panama canal promises big thin
" fot the Willamette valley fruit indu
" tries since II has been found that n
", difference in freight cost as bctwet
~ the all.water and trnnscontinent
no w. routes Is about q half cent per poul
ne In favor Of water transportation NJ
~, the time is about the same.
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