The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1915-01-21
GROWERS WANT
MORE MONEY
AGENCIES FAIL TO GET RESULTS
At Mass Meeting Growers Express DiSSat-
isfactiOn Delegates Will Be Sent
to Seattle Conference

The strong dissatisfaction among
growers with prices that have been
received foI the apple crop this season
was emphatically expressed here Sat
urday afternoon at the mass meeting
of growers called together at the Com
mercial club by Truman Butler, Hood
Rivers member of the northwestern
by-products committee. Growers were
present from White Salmon. Under
wood and Mosier. The purpose of the
meeting was to select delegates to
meet tomorrow with the by-products
committee in Seattle just previous TO
the conference Of that committee Sat
urday with the heads of the north
vests six selling agencies. closer CO.
operation Of which is aimed at.
In explaining the meeting Mr.. But
Ter. who was elected chairman. said:
"The members of our committee are
unanimous in their belief that the
growers of the northwestern apple box
districts are not getting the return
that they should, not only because of
the competition existing between the
different districts, but because of the
competition between agencies in the
districts themselves. Hood River ap-
Piles are competing with Hood River
apples, and the same conditions prevail
in Wenatchee and in Yakima,
I'VE believe that the six large sell
ing agencies can be brought together
and that a plan for the betterment of
cooperation can be worked out. We
have called on growers for suggestions
and for their moral support. "
The six large agencies which control
the majority of the tonnage of north
western box apples and the coopera-
tion of which is the aim of the Seattle
meeting are the North Pacific Fruit
Distributors, the Northwestern Fruit
Exchange, the Horticultural Union of
Yakima, Richev & Gilbert, of Yakima,
the Wenatchee Produce Association
and the Wenatchee Fruitgrowers AS
sociation.
al am of the opinion" said e. II.
| Shepard, THAT If we growers want
harmony among the apple selling
agencies it is up to US to voice strong
expression of our sentiment The rail
road companies never make any effort
to change their rates unless there is a
demand by the people. We can see the
| effect of the voice of the people in oul
recent prohibition laws in Oregon ant
| Washington. In the present case the
apple growers are the people, and they
must make demands before they sc'
what they want.
Mr.. Shepard outlined the proposed
operations of league that has jus
been formed among the Wenatche'
growers, and which will prevent it
members from shipping through sell
ing agencies whose rules of marketing
do not conform with those laid dowI
by the league. He said he did not be
lieve that orderly control of the major
ity of the apples of the northwes
would be obtained until there was I
solidification of units composed o
closely cooperative local districts.
Dissatisfaction with the North Paci
fic Distributors was expressed by
number of growers.
81 have been member of our lOca
union since it was organized, said j
L. Carter. 1--WE have progressed AM
each step seemed for the better. w
|
came a member of the Distributor
that we we're going to arrive at result
that you are proposing to bring abou
now. | do not know that anybody |
to blame, but we have failed and | al
now ready to do anything toward get
ting together at home. Then we ca
approach other districts and ask thei
| cooperation"
A similar sentiment was eXpresse
by w. w. Rodwell and j. II. Jeffrey.
Representatives of all selling cor
Germs expressed themselves as desirou
of obtaining better local cooperation.
"The Northwestern Fruit Exchang
is not bringing me enough money,
said A. |. Mason, land yet think
will return me about 10 to 70 cent
more per box than TO the growers G
the distributors. ] don't believe any
thing will result from our Seattl
meeting, for before we can ever get o
the right basis we must get togethe
at home"
II A number of suggestions were mad
as to the choice of delegates for tn
Seattle meeting; finally after collal
Grafton beween Mr.. Mason and MI
Shepard, the former put the followin
motion, which carried: That two de
egates be selected by each of the TO
II lowing, the respective organizations
pay expenses of delegates: App
Growers Association, Fruit Grower
II Exchange, Hood River Apple & Sto
:, age Co., Independent Growers, and II
H associations Of Mos er. White Sal mo
i and Underwood; that delegates mu
be actual growers and not paid officia
of any organization. As the meetir
was breaking up motion to the etfe
II that il be the sense of the meetiI
Il that no delegate be member of Il
II board of directors Of any organizatit
II was carried. However, after consi
II Grafton those present at the meetiI
II declared that the latter should not
II effective, since it will eliminate del
II gates from the Hood River Apple
H Storage Co. And on this account, 1t
III stated that the motions effect will