The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1916-10-26
BUSINESS MEN
HARVEST APPLES
HIGH SCHOOL FOLK GOOD WORKERS
Action Of Cooperation Clements Town and
Valley - Critical Situation is
Averted by Closing Stores

Tue uoOu NlVeI Vdiiey lOr tUelr ItIioW
townspeople was never kindlier than
at the present time. Cooperation among
growers of apples in the mid -Columbis
district. who. according to expressions
of fruit men from other sections, have
formed more closely organized sales
agencies and who act in general accord
with respect to all matters pertaining
to their industry. has probably beer
worked out to finer point than in any
other Northwestern apple growing sec.
tion.
And events of the past week have
shown conclusively that the spirit OF
cooperation extends not only to the
orchardists but that it has taken a firm
hold on all business activity in the
Hood River valley. The first crisis
ever met with in the task OF havestinG
q Hood River apple crop was met last
week Tuesday. when owners Of orch
ards, more particularly in the East Side
section, where the trees are older. the
individual tracts larger and the cror
probably heavier than in any other
section of the community, realized that
they were ''up against it," to describe
the situation in their own words. A
ten day period Of prevailing frosty
nights and brilliant warm sunshine
throughout the period of daylight hac
caused all varieties to reach maturity
simultaneously. Big perfect Spitzen
burgs were beginning to fall by the
hundreds Of boxes. Calls for more mer
we're unavailing. A few growers,
fearing the disastrous results of wind
storms, an ever impending weather
condition for this season of the year,
were beginning to lose their heads anG
the current wage for pickers was being
increased. Transient pickers, in great.
er numbers than on any former year,
were on the verge of demanding an in
crease and a general disorganization OF
the labor situation was just in the of
ing, when Hood Rivers business mer
took a hand, pledging themseles tc
close their stores and Offices on every
afternoon of Wednesday, Thursday anc
| Friday.
The seriousness of the situation was
made evident by a petition from repre-.
sentative growers. This petition was
received last week Tuesday morning
At mass meeting held at the Com
mercial club and with every business
interest of the city represented, follow.
| ing q hasty but conclusive discussion,
the townspeople made the ruling that,
according to estimates, has saved the
fruit district thousands1of dollars.
On Wednesday morning, the city
school board having voted to close ths
high school until the labor situation
was relieved, over l50 students boys
girls and members Of the faculty.
we're ready for the work Of picking
Promptly at noon Wednesday of last
week Hood River took on Sunday
time inactivity. Printed placards were
placed on every door, announcing that
all Hood River was away in the or
chards. For the three afternoons, the
visitor to Hood River found no excep'
tions. The lid was on tighter ever
than on Sundays. for the towns two
moving picture theatres, their oper'
ators, ticket.takers and ushers away
gathering apples. were closed. The
local correspondent of the 0regonian,
planning to secure pictures of amateur
harvesters at work, failed to make q
morning purchase of films needed fol
the work. After IL O'Clock it was toe
late. the shop doors had been closed
till the next morning, and the plans
for picture making were necessarily
postponed.
A football game between teams Of
the Hood River High School and that
of Goldendale, Wash, had been sched
uled for Friday afternon. Advertising
placards had already been placed ir
shop windows. But the game was
postponed. Even though every mem
Der of the local team had not been al
work in the orchards of East Side
growers, the game would have been .
failure financially; for it would have
lacked spectators.
Some orchardists and few of the
business men we're at first prone tt
think the plan huge joke. 1t wat
thought that the students and clerks
the total numbers of whom reached
more than 300. unaccustomed to the
work would make but Indifferent pick
ers. The orchardists. themselves, art
authority for the statements that the
townspeeple and the boys and girl
from the High School have done theil
work we'll.
The student workers, in many in
stances carried along tents and bed
ding and camped in the orchards while
engaged in their tasks. The business
men, some in automobiles of the or
chardists for whom they we're working
and others in machines furnished by
the townspeople themselves. returned
to town each evening, and city house
wives, it is said, have found it vel
the past several evenings to prepare
extra food for the tired workers
whose appetites hse been sharpened By
the healthful exercise performd in the
clear and crisp air of the Autumntime
1t is too often the rule that misun
derstandings between city and rura
residents Of county spoil the posi-
bilities of team work. but, as was q
succinctly stated in an editorial squit
Of the Oregonian last Wednesday
morning, 'To pick and not to kick
seems the rule at Hood River"
A record days work for the amateur
pickers was probably set one Afternoon
by the following seven young womeI
on the East Side place of J. o. Mark
Misses Evelyn Trip. Frances Baker
Georgia Prather, Frances Castner
Ruth Nicholson, Betty Slade ant
Lillian Brock. The first named thre,
are High School teachers and th'
others are studests. The seven picket
total of $50 boxes of fruit.
Weather conditions caused apples Il
ripen more quickly than on any forme
season, and the fruit had begun t
drop in large quantities. Thousand
of boxes were lost from dropping il
the larger East Side orchards. II
instances growers we're not able to Sc
cure boxes for their crops. Some o
these picked the fruit and piled tn