The Punta Gorda herald., 1919-05-15
GIANT ORGANIZATION
TO CONTROL CROPS
OF Oranges and Grapefruit in
California and Florida.-Cap-
ital $100,000,000


The Herald last week contained
what DIR. Ross, president OF the
Florida Citrus Exchange, said
about the great combine that is
seeking to get control of the fruit
crops of the country. Today we
are giving additional information,
to which are appended the COM
ments of Editor Leach OF the
Leesburg commercial.
All this matter is lengthy, but,
as it relates to the entire fruit IN
dustry Of Florida, we think 1t
merits the space given to it.
Editor Leach Gives Warning
Under the heading, "a Fruit
Octopus Approaches" Editor
Leach prints the following in his
Leesburg Commercial:
Unsolicited advice sometimes
begets resentment. In fact we
have seen a case or two recently
of resentment voiced against
newspaper advice" that existed
only in the mind of the man who
resented it and was the result OF
his careless Interpretation OF
newspaper articles and editorials
that he had scanned. We would
not presume to advise the grow
ers of citrus fruits how they
should grow their fruits, We
woud not presume to advise them,
by and large, as how they should
market their fruit. But we DO
presume to suggest to every grow
er of citrus fruits, whether on a
large scale or on a small scale,
that it is the utmost Importance
to him that he read everything ne
can find in the trade papers and
in the daily papers right now
about the steps, being taken to
form the big fruit growers and
marketers trust.
1t seems to be well established
that an organization is being per-
fected to manipulate the fruit OF
the United States just as the meat
and by-products have been man
ipulated and just as oil and steel
and almost any number OF other
products have been handled and
iuggled and manipulated and
even, at times, cOrnered. just
what effect that will have upon
the growers of citrus fruits in
Lake County, Florida, we are not
prepared ito presume to affirm.
But there are certain facts which
may be enumerated in connection
with similar movements in many
lines, and it probably will not be
presuming on our part to mention
some of these
The pople who are credited
with being back of this giant
combine are the people who have
bottled up the Honduran and
other Central American banana
markets. They are said to have
a hundred million dollars capital
and to have secured over ten mil
lions of dollars worth of citrus
groves as a starter. sWe have re-
ceived information as to condit-
ions in the banana business from
men who have spent several years
in Honduras and the fruit COM
bine is not considered a benefact-
or by any manner of means.
(Sentence in Commercial press
torn and illegible.)
Small steel mills did not pros
per when the steel trust was FORM
ed. Independent oil men in the
Indiana field 1--WE were there at
the tine) did not secure any great
benefit from the big pipe line that
was extended to Chicago. We
speak advisedly when we state
that their language during the /
three or four years period that
passed before they choked to
death was somewhat too 1urid for
use even in describing the hun in
print a few months ago. When
the cement combine was formed |
we lived IN community where
there were two immense plants.
One has never run since and the
other has been run spasmodically |
and at long intervals. Mean.
Concluded on page 81 |