The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1915-02-11
ORCHARD CO.'S PLANS
MAY HELP BUSINESS

4
''ls the existence Of concern like
the Orchard & Investment Company {
menace TO the fruit growing industry
of the northwest? This question ha.
been brought to my attention by thG
recent recurrence OF hostile mention il
certain newspapers, said Reginald H
Parsons, in Seattle last week. "Tht
fact that ! am president of the North
western Fruit Exchange and director
of the Orchard & Investment Company
has been quoted and republished a:
though il were a discovery of deep anC
mysterious significance. There is moth
ing about the matter which needs to be
hidden from the full light of publicity.
"In the first place, let me say EN-.
phatically." declared the head of the
central selling agency, THAT the North
western Fruit Exchange is in no way
connected with the Orchard & Invest
ment Company. Those who control one
of these concerns, do not hold control
in the other. The Exchange is con-
trolled by fruit growers of the north
west, and it is directed absolutely in
the interests of those who ship their
fruit through it.
'0n the other hand, the Orchard &
Investment Co. is composed mostly of
fruit growers of Florida, western New
York, the northwest and elsewhere. Ii
was organized some Is months ago
with capital stock of one million dol
lars. The purpose was to invest in de-
sirable orchard properties at reasonable
valuations. Ii was found that many
excellent opportunities were offered
because properties were mismanaged.
or not sufficiently capitalized to give
| the orchards proper care. 1t so hap
| pens that all Investments of the COM
i pany thus far have been made in FlOri
da and sections other than the north
| west.
'It has been suggested that the
organization of such corporation
menaces the interest of fruit growers.
whereas, a careful analysis of the situ-
alton would seem to prove just the
contrary. The acquiring of property by
such corporation would tend to i'm
mediately stiffen the market. 1t would
prove under all conditions that good
property is salable at fair valuation.
1t is always unfortunate for an orchard
owner to have to sell his property at a
sacrifice, but still more unfortunate to
be forced out of business by foreclos-
ure whereby all his equity is wiped out.
During such seasons as l914-19l5
there arises in the minds of bankers
and other financial interests the ques-
tiou as to what financial stability there
is in orchard property investments.
Upon the answer to this question de-
pends the very life and existence of a
considerable portion of those engaged
in growing fruit. 1t is even more i'm
portant that good orchard properties be
safeguarded from the bad effects of
an occasionally disastrous marketing
season than to prevent any one crop
from selling below cost of production.
Bankers and the public at large must
be educated to the fact that the fruit
business is particularly susceptible to
sudden changes in market prices, both
up and dowD.as illustrated by the trend
of the market during the past five
years. On the basis of five-year av-
erage, taking even the past five years,
including the season of 19l4-l9l5, de-
sirable bearing orchard properties, if
their crops were marketed properly,
| VIII SuOW dNGlhRC ICGulbo buul HIoNC
the stability of orchard values in the
good districts. To impress this vital
fact upon the financial interests of the
country is one of the most beneficial
effects, we believe, of the operations of
such concern as the Orchard & In
vestment Company.
Zone of the principal features of our
policy is to retain the present owner as
manager when acquiring his property,
provided he is competent. Further
more, such owners are encouraged to
retain a large interest. There is un-
questioned need of several such COM
panies here in the northwest: for there
are hundreds of orchardists who have
developed their properties to the point
of bearing and their own efficiency to
the highest degree just at time when
financial stress threatens to wipeeout
the savings of lifetime, the careful
labor of years, and deprive the orchard
of its natural and most efficient man
agement. The Orchard & Investment
Company. operating in all parts of the
United States, both in citrus and ap-
pie properties, does not measure up to
the needs of the situation. even though
1t has capital of one million dollars.
There are individual properties in the
northwest valued at more than a half
million dollars, and it is these large
properties that usually need financial
assistance.
"The greatest need of the fruit
growing industry, especially in the
northwest. is stability. Aside from a
desire to receive legitimate profit out
of the investment, the grower members
of the Orchard & Investment Company
wish to stabilize the values of their
own large orchards, believing that at
the same time they are meeting real
need of the fruit growing industry of
the country. For orchards they are do
ing just such thing as is being ac-
complished in other lines by building
and loan associations, trust companies.
etc.
''Ihe question as to whether or not
this organization or other corporations
privately owned and controlled are pi-
rates and exploiters, can only be deter
mined by the results and methods of
their operations, which, of course, will
watched with interest and vigilence by
the fruit growers. and properly So"