The Kennewick courier-reporter. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1914-1938, 1916-01-13
0NE AGENCY Is
ONLY SOLUTION
SAYS MANAGER
Desgranges Advises Association
to Unite with the Inde-
pendents
MAKES HIS ANNUAL REPORT
r,ture of Fruit Business Depends up
on Organization, But the Pro-
gress is Very Slow

That II is more evident than ever
.hat the future of the fruit industry
depends upon the organization of the
nroducers, and that little or no pro-
oress was made along this line last
vear are the conclusions arrived at by
Manager H. w. Desgranges in his an
uual report to the members of the
Kennewick District Fruit Growers
association.
in his report which was read at the
annual meeting of the association last
Tuesday, Mr.. Desgranges reviews the
marketing conditions as they existed
last season and points to the fallacy of
attempting to successfully market the
crop as long as the growers are their
own competitors. In order that this
competition may be eliminated in
handling at least one crop he recon-
mends that association members turn
their strawberry crop over to the new
berry association, if one is organized.
In dealing with this question, Mr..
Desgranges says: "My report on the
marketing of strawberries for last
wear would answer for this year and
will no doubt answer for all years to
come until the strawberry growers of
this early district will get together and
market their crop thru one channel.
There Is no other hope. So long as
our berries are marketed thru several
sssncies with very large per cent
going into market on open consign-
ment, there can be no other result than
failure to realize what our product is
really worth. 1t is sheer folly to hope
for satisfactory results under present
conditions"
Continuing the report says: "There
is now a movement under way to or
ganize local strawberry agency sep
arate and apart from all present
agencies, to handle the crop of 1916.
Just how an organization can be
formed that is more purely growers
organization than the associotion is
hard to conceive. We
must not, however, blind ourselves to
the fact that there exists an unwar-
ranted prejudice in the minds of many
growers that we have been unable to
overcome and this has made it i'm
possible to get the necessary per cent
age Of the tonnage into the associa-
tion to make the marketing success,
and in so far as this cannot be done,
It the Independent growers will get to-
gether I most earnestly recommend
that our growers will unite their ton
mage with them and make it possible
to realize which we so much desire
success"
The report covers the work of the
anociation in detail and shows that
tie seasons business was transacted
At net profit to the association OF
@S53.64. The association handled in
oil 120, 0,461 packages of fruit and pro-
duce which sold for $50, ,666.91. Spray,
box and crate material handled brings
Tie total volume of business up to
}101 ,557.06.
The membership Of the association
totaled 1875 on January 1, 1916, which
is gain of three members since jan
nary l, 1915. There were 20 additions
during the year and a transfer OF 23
members to the Kiona-Benton dis
trict.
In answer to the criticism of the
associations slowness in making re-
turns the report says: "We frequent
~ hear the association criticized for
being slow in making returns to its
members and from the way these re-
ports were circulated one would al
most believe the association never
paid. In view of the real facts is this
objection really well founded? True,
'nru cooperative marketing the final
settlement must Of necessity be late
as all products must be sold and all
Diiis collected, and there are always
some slow accounts, before final set
uement can be made. But this does
not mean that you have had no returns
On your fruit and this impression
should not be given out. II is the
principal argument held out by many
(Cnr%;r,xI ..lAkN