The Punta Gorda herald., 1919-05-08
ROSS SAYS CITRUS
INDUSTRY OF STATE
IS NOW THREATENED
Warns Polk County Sub-Ex-
change Members at Barlow
HE HITS $1ooo,ooo,OOo DEAL
Fine Reports Of Polk County Pro-
gress- Exchange to Celebrate

81 OSo AAAIkAeRA6S W 0SA~SANs~
Barlow, May 7.-(Special) y
AT meeting of more than eighty
prominent growers, members Of
the Florida Citrus exchange, here
this afternoon, called ostensibly
to discuss the progress of Polk
county in the citrus world and to
lay plans for the future, DR.. j. III.
Ross, president of the exchange,
warned every grower to think
twice before considering to be-
come part of the proposed mer-
ger known as the American Fruit
Growers, Inc.
Dispatches from California
during the past week have
brought news of the organization
of this concern, said ito be capit-
allied at $100,000,000, and DIR.
Ross, with Business Manager G.
E. Stewart, jr., asked for grow
ers to keep both feet on the
floor before taking any action.
This new organization is said to
De gigantic citrus grove meyer
involving one hundred million
dollars, which plans to join for
commercial purposes, the big
groves Of California and Florida,
the apple and deciduous fruit in
dustries of the Pacific Northwest
and the east.
This organization, already said
to have gianed control of more
than ten millions dollars worth of
property, DR.. Ross admitted, had
citrus exchange men
both in northern markets, the best
statesmen of the organization, as
well as others within the state,
and it was said on very good au-
thority that this is the 0rganiza-
tion which has obtained the serv-
ices of f. L. Skelley, sales man
ager of the Florida organization.
Mr.. Skelley, however is not ready
to announce his plans and will
neither affirm nor deny the
rumorS.
Threatened Rape" of Industry
"a threatened rape of the cit
rus industry" is the way DR.. Ross
described this new organization.
"Not in the European war was
there a greater menace to Bel
gium or to France than there is
to the citrus industry in Florida
through this movement
The growers evidently stood
solid behind the statements of DIR.
Ross, the meeting frequently
breaking into applause both dur
ing his talk and during the talk of
Mr.. Stewart.
In spite of other interesting
things being before the meeting
it was evident, toward the close,
that most of the thought of those
present were turned towards
this new hundred million dollar
organization and although the an
nouncemerit OF the plans was but
a week ago, considerable progress
evidently has been made and
many of the citrus exchange
members see only ruination for
the industry if the. plans Again
headway.
DIR. Ross made a lengthy talk
on the progress and various ef-
forts of the exchange and saved
the details of this big merger
until last. He read extracts from
a copy of an article concerning
the merger, which appeared in
one of the fruit trade papers, and
in which it.was pointed out that
such an organization would re-
move the hazards from the fruit
business by neutralizing the loss
es of any given district in an off
year by averaging or pooling the
profits of the entire territory COW
cred by the merger.
DR.. Ross said such plan would
mean that Florida growers would
have to make up for a bad crop Of
Concluded on last page, col. 81