The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1915-02-18
WENATCHEE GROWERS
FORMULATE PLANS

FORMULATE PLAN
MDgring the past few months muc
bgs been done in Wenatchee 70 dra'
the fruit growers Of that section to
petber, in order that in the futur
marketing Of the fruit may be accom-
plished hatmoRiously. A committee
after strenuous work, submitted a re
port recommending that the communit
of Wenatchee and contiguous district
be divided into community units, wit
unit organizations, aud that a centrs
organization should be formed by tn
afFiiation Of all these units
The Wentchee committees report II
part was as follows:
Existing conditions within the terri
tory named affecting the fruit industry
The admittedly chaotic condition o
the industry is in our opinion largel!
due to the wide lluctuation in the price
of the product from year TO year ren
dering the producers returns highly
uncertain; one year he may have sur
plus the next year perhaps deficit
the inevitable result of inefficient dis
tributi0n.
The possible elimination of such evili
as may be found to exist-We find al
evil existing in the practice Of consign
ment, which should be discontinued ex
cept in cases of extreme emergency, II
which eases a board of control shall in
vestigate the commission agent, the
point of distribution, the terms and i
in its judgment such consignment vii
not iniure the market it may grant
permission.
Lack of organization of growers arc
failure of proper coordination OF dis
tributing agencies, the practice Of ship
ping our crop to market within toe
brief a period, the superior quality OF
our fruit not sufficiently known or
brought TO the attention of the cOnsum-
ing public in the distributing areas are
recognized evils.
The benefits, if any, to be had from
cooperation of growers Your commit
Tee upon information CLEANED from all
available sources Is profoundly i'm
pressed with the fact that the solution
of most of the difficulties confronting
US in establishing and making profit
able the industy lies in the principle OF
cooperation. We believe that coopera-
tion should begin at home, that we
should first put our own house in order.
organize the growers into units, then
the whole north central Washington
territory into one compact organi2a-
tion, then by proper cooperation with
other fruit districts similarly organized
ultimately bring the fruit districts of
the northwest into an organization to
work for a common purpose that the
box apple industry may be established.
We are convinced that without such
cooperation it will be and remain i'm
possible to finance the industry to the
best interest of the producers. We be-
lieve that complete cooperation OF
growers engaged in fruit production is
absolutely essential to the permanenct
of the industry, If for no other reasor
than that it affords an adequate
method Of financing individual orcharC
operations, and without some such sys
tenn of finance no ultimate correction
can be had of the salient factors, o.
the present chaotic and unsatisfactory
conditions,
Standardization of grade and pack
We are convinced that the adoption anC
enforcement of uniform standard o.
grade and pack is absolutely necessary
to place the boxed apples upon a firm
and staple basis, and that in order t
enforce such uniform standard it is es
sential for an organization of growers
to secure and maintain competent
corps of Inspectors independent of any
and all marketing agencies or selling
concerns.
Storage-We believe that one Of the
factors contributing TO successful mar.
keting and disposition of the product is
home storage, whether cold or common
storage to be later determined by fur.
ther investigation. After the limited
research your committee has been able
to make Of this subject we are firmly
convinced of the necessity of consider.
able lCcal storage, but we strongly rec.
ommend that the matter Of cold stor.
age be very thoroughly investigated
before extensive expenditures are In.
Cured Tor that purpose but that com
mon storage should be provided as
quickly as possible, either on the
ranches or at local warehouses.
Advertising From the investigation
made of this subject we believe thai
concerted and united action should be
had to encourage increased consump
tion of our product by means of adver,
tising, the methods adopted to be left
to the board of control of the organiza
tion herein recommended. -e., -: -: a.s.s
Statistics and industrial conditions
We believe that the central boarC
mentioned should create and maintain
bureau of information, whose duty il
would be to gather crop statistics an(
data in regard to all products affecting
the boxed apple industry and to dissem
mate such information t. its member!
by means of bulletins from time L
time or otherwise
We believe that such organization
should maintain and operate an indus
trial bureau whose duty it would he t.
assist IN maintaining efficient packinl
and grading by means of licensing ex
perienced packers, and providing fo
apprentices thereto.
Need Of a central organization-A A f
ter an exhaustive investigation of tn,
desirability of cooperative action o
growers and for the consummation o
the above objects, we are submitting
herewith a somewhat comprehensive
plan of organization for the growers
based upon a unit system. 1t is tn,
opinion of your committee that the uni
or local organization should be tn,
basis of cooperation and the basis upol
which the growers should finance them
selves for their seasonal crop require
ments. These units should be composed
of growers in each locality or commun
ity for the purpose of cooperation ant
each unit should be incorporated undet