The Meridian times. (Meridian, Idaho) 1909-1938, 1916-02-25
Jobbers criticise.

dppltS IL
Jobbers Criticise.
I'VE ran against the same criticism
from the commission merchants and
.jobbers, that Mr.. Davidson makes
when Florida oranges started to sell at
auction twenty years ago. Today
these same critics are buying Florida
oranges +. o. b. and selling them at
auction with satisfactory results in
preference to selling at private sale
from their own store.
= Ii is a mistake TO think that the
auction system is not satisfactory
way to handle moderate size crop;
as the wide competition that will alb
sorh and put into consumption large
crop will result in extremely high
prices when the demand is in excess
Of the supply. This has been fully
demonstrated recently when the Old
Mission California oranges brought
eleven dollars and an eighth for the
choice, and the ear average, for extra
fancy, nine dollars and five cents and
for fancy seven dollars and seventy-five
cents per box.
"These same results are bound to
follow on apples when the crop is
small and the supply consequently
limited The fruit of inferior quality
also feels the affect Of this stimula-
ton as in the immense clientele of the
auction companies there is strong com
petition for all classes and grades of
fruit. r clientele, consisting of CON
Germs like Park 4 Tilford, Henry
Hicks, etc, who cater to the wants of
the four hundred and will pay almost
any price to get the class of fruit that
they want, down to the Jew or Greek
peddler who sells an apple for a
penny from q push-cart or basket.
"There has been disposition by
the apple jobbers here in New York
TO resort to almost any means to pre-
vent Northwestern apples being sold
at auction, such as mailing out auc-
ton returns of damaged cars and say
ing this is what you will realize if
you sell at auction
Now, il seems to us that it is not
so much the disinterested. worry that
the grower will not receive adequats
returns for his fruit as it is the fear
that the grower viii open channel Of
distribution that will put him in the
same position as regards Northwestern
apples as he is in today with regard
to California and Florida fruits In
other words these last two markets are
open to him as an f. o. b. buyer but
the grower is not so absolutely de-
pendent on the jobber as he is at
present
Better Average Price.
s'The claim has been made that
apples owing TO their keeping quail
tiles can be handled to better advan-
tage at private sales than other fruits
of more perishable nature This,
TO certain extent, is true but does
not ia any way dispove the fact that
the prices for apples or any other
hne Of fruit, grade for grade, will
show a better average price for the
entire season, if sold at auction where
you have the competition OF the
entire trade, than ii sold at private
sale where the competition is limited
10 the clientele Of the individual
commission merchant or lobbcr.
100000 Packages Sold.
When you consider that during q
year in New York City alone there
are 10 excess Of fifteen million pack
ages Of fruit sold at public sale, Il
the satisfaetion Of the seller and
grower, il .oes not seem REASONABLE,
that apples will not, II given faii
trial, prove equally successful as ~
anetion commodity.
70 sum up, " auction yon hay,
unlimited competition, account 81,
ana check immediately after the sale