The Kennewick courier-reporter. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1914-1938, 1916-07-06
TO MAKE UNION
A PERMANENT
ORGANIZATION
Growers Put Unanimous Stamp
of Approval on Strawberry
Marketing Agency
INCORPORATION AUTHORIZED
Farmers Without Exception Vote to
Stand Back of the Cooperative
4, .-. Selling Proposition

The stamp of permanency was put
on the Kennewick-Richlan Market.
ing Union last Saturday afternoon
when the Kennewick strawberry grow
ers approved articles Of incorporation
and bylaws which had been sanction
ed by the Richland grower at similar
meeting a week ago.
In the main, the plans of the per-
manent organization are the same as
those of this years union. The scope
is widened in that the union is en-
powered to market all kinds of farm
products grown in the Columbia and
Yakima River Valleys. In presenting
the plan of organization President Lee
M. Lampson explained that the. pres
ent board of trustees recommended
that no product be handled unless at
least S5 per cent of the total crop
could be brought into the union.
The union is organized under the
fraternal laws of the state for mutual
protection and not for profit. There
is no capital stock and the membership
fee is only one dollar and every active
member is entitled to one vote regard
less of acreage or tonnage. There are
two classes of members, active and in
active. Active members are those en-
gagged in agricultural or horticultural
pursuits. Inactive members may be
engaged in any line of business. They
are eligible to hold office in the or
ganization and are entitled to a vote
as such but they have no vote in the
membership meeting. This provision
was made to permit business men to
sit on the board Of trustees as they
have done this year.
There are nine trustees but this
may be increased from time
to time as new districts are added.
The trustees are to be chosen as they
were this year, three growers and one
business man each from Kennewick
and Richland and the ninth member
chosen by these eight.
Provision is also made for the union
to furnish the growers with supplies
FOR growing and harvesting their
crops. To supply finances for this
branch of the business an assessment
is to be made upon the net proceeds
realized from the sale of the products
of any member but in no instance is
this assessment to be more than five
per cent of the net proceeds. This
assessment is to be made in the ma
ture of loan and the unions non-ne-
gotiable note will be issued to each
grower for the amount deducted from
MS account. These notes are to draw
at the rate of eight per cent.
In other words the organization is to
be financed by loans from the MEM
oers, the amount of such loans being
with the services rem
iered the individual member.
The present board of trustees are
named as incorporators and they will
the affairs until December a
when their successors are to be elect
ID.
The articles of incorporation and by
avs were prepared by Attorney F. r.
Jeffrey under the direction of the pre-
;ent board of trustees.
Saturdays meeting was notable in
hat every vote was unanimous and
here was hardly a criticism offered to
my provision Of either the articles of
Incorporation or the bylaws. Some
# the minor details did not meet with
he entire approval of some Of the
.rowers but in splendid spirit of CO.
peration these objections Were waived
or the sake of harmony.
The growers were of one mind in
'oting this years undertaking sue
ess and they gave unstinted praise
o the men who had worked to make
success. What the growers think
this years union was forcibly shown
yhen w. H. Witt, who was one of the
ast men to join, arose and moved that
he trustees be paid for their services.
)ther growers Were ready to support
he motion but the trustees declined