The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1916-03-23
HOOD RIVER, OREGON, THURSDAY, MARCH %. 1916
GROWERS HEAR
AGENCY PLAN
UNIFORM CONTRACT Is Big STICK
c. ". MOOmaw on Saturday Points Out
Chief Features Of Governments
Suggestion for Marketing

had been attending highly entertain
ing theatrical performance, mass
meeting of Underwood, Wash, Dufur
district and local apple growers lis
tened to pointed facts of an address de-
livered at the Commercial club Satur-
day afternoon by Clarence W. Moomaw,
representative of the Office of Markets
of the United States Department of
Agriculture, who in outlining the pro-
posed plans of central growers agen-
cy declared that by signing a uniform
contract the grower will hold "big
stick" over the operations of sales
agencies. The uniform contract pro-
vides, said MIR. Moomaw. for the with
drawal of tonnage, unless the agree
ments embodied in it are carried out.
Throughout the east" said Mr..
Moomaw, 'the fruit districts of the
northwest have been pointed out as
models in the line of cultivation of
orchards and marketing. But we have
discovered that you have used your or
ganizations of certain districts to fight
the organizations of other districts, and
through your fighting have been dissi-
pating your energies and resources.
You yourselves have realized that there
has been enough fighting, and unless
there is let upp you are going UNDER
MIR. Moomaw explained that the CEN
tral organization of growers and sales
agencies, to be conducted at Spokane,
would be known as the Growers Agen-
cy, incorporated. To avoid existing
legal provisions, he stated, the organ
ization is a combination of actual grow
ers and selling interests, the board Of
trustees being composed Of FIVE grow
ers and five sales interest representa-
tives, these 10 choosing an eleventh.
According to the proposed plan any res
ident northwest agency that assemblies
and sells minimum of 100 carloads of
fruit may become member of the
central organization on payment of an
annual fee of 500. If a grower, pro-
vided he raises minimum of carload
of fruit, thinks that he needs greater
representation than that granted by
signing the uniform contract, he may
secure passive membership by pay.
meat of an annual fee of $5. Any
grower, whose tonnage reaches car
load. may become an active member by
payment of 500. Communities may
select a representative from their midst
and join in the payment of the annual
fee for an active membership.
MIR. Moomaw declared that the apples
of the northwest had changed from
former novelty basis when extreme
high prices were realized, to that of
commodity basis. and that adjustments
must be made to meet commodity prices
now being realized.
In his judgment, as expressed in his
address, the greatest benefits to be de-
rived from the combined efforts of
growers, through the proposed central
agency, will be realized by the gather
ing of market reports and the estab-
fishing each season of uniform value
of the product before the selling season
begins. The uniform contract calls for
cooperative machinery in securing reli-
able crop reports on all fruits, and
agencies are required to hold frequent
conferences prior to the opening of
ceiling seasons, although they are pro-
hibited by the Sherman antitrust law
from setting price.
During past seasons. according to
MIR. Moomaw, returns on apples have
been reduced 10 per cent because of
improper methods of handling the prod
uct In the orchards. The uniform con-
tract calls for the establishment Of
community packing houses. which will
enable growers to get their crops into
cold storage plant in minimum time
and vet utilize home and family labor.
Except for two digressions in his
talk, Mr.. Moomaw's address was of
general nature. applying to any north
western fruit district. In one of the
instances he told local growers that
they should be warned of their prone
ness to believe that in the production
of Newtowns and Spitzenburgs they
we're engaged in a specialized industry.
at is true," said Mr.. Moomaw,
"that other districts raise but few of
these varieties. but the fruit that they
do produce competes to such an extent
with yours that you will be aided by
any general movement toward coopera-
tion."
In the other instance Mr.. Moomaw
praised the local growers for their fore
sight in providing adequate storage
facilities for a large portion of their
annual production. ..
I'VE have been so bold," he said. 'as
to point out to other districts the inde-
pendence you fruit men here have be-
cause of your storage facilities"
Mr.. Moomaw characterized the an
nual scramble of sales agencies for ton
mage as a very hurtful influence.
"Agencies should be engaged at this
time in plans Of marketing, and the
minimum uniform contract provides
that the time for signing tonnage con-
tracts must be limited. We propose to
limit this period on apples to July l.
The representative of markets pointed
out that the uniform contract calls for
the cooperation of sales agencies in
chartering ships for the expectation OF
fruits to foreign countries.
1--WE had in mind" he said, "when
we inserted this clause, ''the opening
of fruit trade route to Europe through
| the Panama canal. and unless YOU fruit