The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1917-04-05
Money Talks
Fruit Growers
Northwestern Fruit Exchange
No. 3O..The Evidence in
the Case
TO FRUIT GROWERS:

o FRUIT GROWERS:
Extract from a report of a non-par
isan committee appointed: by a mas
Meeting of fruit growers in the We
Iatchee District to investigate tn
'ooks and records of the NORTH
WESTERN FRUIT EXCHANGE
his report appeared in full in tn
Venatchee Daily World of Jan. 2s
9l2:
"Your committee met with the
management of the Northwestern
Fruit Exchange in Portland on
Wednesday. January oath and were
freely invited to make careful
and detailed inspection of their or
ganization, method of operation,
system of records and selling fa-
cilities. 1t was matter Of much
surprise to find so complete and
extensive an organization, and one
that seemed so near to supplying
the necessary system, of not only
selling but Systematically and in
telligently distributing the apple
crop of the Northwest. Before
proceeding at any length in de-
scription Of what the assets of the
Exchange may be, we wish to as
sure this meeting of our complete
confidence in, not only the absolute
integrity of the management of
the Exchange, but of our belief
that they are performing service
which is not nearly comprehended
by their associates in this vicinity
and has been absolutely misrepre-
sented and falsified by their op-
ponents. We find that
the Exchange, after two years of
operation, has built up system
which appears to produce results,
so fan as price goes, and indicates
that it is the best known method
of selling apples today and gives
great promise of continuing to do
a great deal better In the future.
This system has been built up and
developed at considerable expense
mot .to.thelgrower, but absolutely
at the expense of the owners of
the Northwestern Fruit Exchange.
OF this fact your committee is
completely satisfied. Office rec.
ords, which are beyond reasonable
dispute, show conclusively that the
expense Of maintaining the Ex-
change and selling the limited
amount of fruit entrusted to them
for the past two years, has been
far more than the 10c per box
which has been charged the grow
er. The system is now in such
perfect shape that at very slight
ly increased expense, many times
this amount of fruit could be sold
at as good a price as any other
concern now in the business.
There apparently is no secret sur
rounding any detail of any part of
their system. While it is simplic-
ity itself, it is complete in every
detail. We also find that
Crutchfield & Voolfolk have no in
terest in the Northwestern Fruit
Exchange and never had. Mr..
Crutchfield has an amount of
stock, but exercises no influence on
the management, and is not even a
director. WE ALSO FOUND
THAT THE RETURNS MADE
BY THE NORTHW STERN
FRUIT EXCHANGE TO THE
CASHMERE FRUIT GROWERS
UNION WERE NOT PADDED,
AS CHARGED BY SOME, BUT
WERE THE ACTUAL CASH RE-
TURNS FOR THE FRUIT SOLD.
While we did not go through the
entire seasons shipments, we
traced several accounts from start
to finish; we saw the original con-
tract; we traced the cars from
Cashmere to destination; we saw
the invoices and the returns made
to the bank for the draft collected,
the account sales as made to the
Fruit Growers Union, and the can
celled check, given as payment,
and found everything perfectly
straight, and are satisfied that if
we had gone through every ship
ment we would have reached the
same result.
(Signed) GRANT PATTON,
then director of Wenatchee Valley
Fruit Growers Association
(Signed) W. J. RICE,
then an independent grower)
(Signed) H. J. OLIVE,
(then director of Cashmere F. G.
Union)
Extract from report of an investi
ating committee from the Milton
'reewater District of Oregon. the full
ext of which appeared in the Miltol
,agle of August 80, 1912:
After reviewing the operations o
he different departments, the repor
oncludes:
SIN conclusion, we wish to say
that Notwithstanding our personal
prejudice against this organization