The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1915-02-25
mr GRnNERS COUNCIL

TIE GROWERS COUNCIL
The convention of fruit growers Of
the fIlr northwestern states, which
met at Tacoma February Is, perfected
a permanent orangizstion known as the
Growers Council, with the firm con.
viction that the apple industry will be
benefited. The burden of responsibility
for results will rest upon the executive
board. backed up by the Board Of Con
troll, which is composed Of a representa-
tive from each apple district. To Sc
cure any results whatever, this execu-
tive board must have the full coopera-
tion Of the growers, themselves. To
this end 1t is proposed to organize each
district of growers, that they may
form an organization. that will affiliate
themselves with such selling agencies
as are willing to abide by rules and
methods of doing business demanded by
the growers through such organization
No plan will be submitted that is not
fair to growers and shippers alike, nor
to which any honest selling agency or
so-callcd individual shipper can object.
While the growers will endeayor to fix
minimum selling price for each vari.
ETY. and grade of apples, perhaps differ
ent prices for different districts, yet it
is not the intention to boost prices be-
yond point consistent with the law of
supply and demand, or beyond a point
that will prohibit the free consumption
of apples.
The disastrous prices for the 1914
crop of apples was caused mainly by
unorganized methods of distribution and
selling, in which price cutting started
early in the fall by large and small
dealers alike, in wild scramble to un-
load. The individual grower who went
to market with one to six carloads of
his own fruit, found the wolves wait
ing to take advantage of him and eat
him up, which was done. Thousands of
cars on consignment at all principal
markets were then nnloaded at the low
prices established by the forced sale of
the few cars of the individual caught
helpess far from home, who was forced
to take what was offered. The auction
market in each large city. owned and
controlled by half dozen commission
men, was used to set low price when
other methods failed. Prices we're thus
often established so cents to 81 below
what the consumer was able and will
ing to pay, and made the market so
that buyers were afraid to
buy at all except for immediate needs
from day to day. for fear that his com
petitor would be able to underbuy and
him.
The big crop of apples in the east.
European war, and the mild weather
until late in the'fall, enabling the ped
ding of bulk apples all over the middle
west until November, were conditions,
of course, that would have made good
prices impossible. Yet with an organ
ization of the growers of the entire Pa
cilic northwest, needless sacricfies could |
have been prevented. and there was
sufficient demand for our apples to have
sold them all at an average price of
perhaps rs cents box more than will
now be returned to the growers for the
1914 CROP
A plan has been adopted by the
Growers Council which il is believed
will stabilize the market and make ap-
pie growing profitable, if it has the
unanimous support of the growers
themselves. They have it within their
power to demand of their selling agen-
cies, whoever they may be, certain
things for the protection of the grower
In selecting W, II, Paulhamus as the
executive head of this movement, they
are confident that they have found a
man who can accomplish this result.
1t is full mans job, and they believe
they have found big man to do it.
lie has made record in organizing and
successfully operating the berry bust
ness of nearly 1900 fruit growers in
western Washington that has no paral.
lei in the United States. His tremen
dous energy, force of character, intee
rity and ability as a leader of men, has
inspired the full confidence of every
man at the meeting of the Growers
Council that he is the Moses to lead us
out of the Wilderness 1t is now up to
the growers to try him out and give
him a chance.