The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1920-01-22
WOODRUFF CALLS
BILL STRANDB0RG

Dwight L. Woodruff, manager Of the
Atlantic coast and exports bureau Of
the Apple Growers Association, has
taken exceptions 10 recent interview
Of a Portland daily with Wm. Strand
borg, who stated that he had found
people in the east who believed Hood
River to be in Washington. Mr.. Wood
ruff has Just written the Portland pa
per, a CODY of the letter having been
sent to local newspapers. Mr.. Wood
ruff says:
"0ur home office at Hood River has
very kindly sent me clipping from
your issue of December 9th with the
headlines, 'StrandbOrg Told That II, I'd
River is in Washington.
This story is quite interesting 2.
only regret that Mr.. Strandborg did
not 20 into the matter little more
carefully before he burst into print as
he, publicity man. certainly should
know more than the ordinary person Of
the benefits or injuries caused by ar
ticles of this character.
ANYONE would infer that the Hood
River people'did not sell their apples
anywhere in this country. wish you
would have the courtesy 10 publish
what am writing, as these facts are
easily substantiated.
Last season this New York Office
sold considerably in excess of 700 cars
of apples and pears grown in Hood
River in the territory east of Chicago.
1t is true fully half of these were con
sumed in the metropolitan districts of
New York. but we have very general
distribution in the following cities
Philadelphia. Pittsburgh, Washington.
Baltimore. Norfolk, Richmond, Tren-
ton. all New England and many small
er points. This season our distribution
is even wider and for the information
of your readers, can truthfully say
that no apple district in the Northwest
is anywhere near so:well known in the
east Jas the Hood River district, yand
people know it is in OregOn-not in
Washington.
'Of course. this may not be true of
some of the foreign fruitstand men.
and it possibly might not be true of
some of the men who do the checking
and trucking. In any event. Mr..
Strandborg has not pictured the condi-
tions in the east anywhere nearly fair,
| and | can only believe it was done sim.
ply because he did not 90 into the situ
alton carefully.
ut may interest you to know that
on many of the fruit stands in this city
apples are placarded as Hood River
| apples, when personally know that
only a small portion Of them were
grown at Hood River, but rather came
| from Yakima and Wenatchee. | men.
tion this as showing how the smaller
dealers try to profit by our reputation
This is deception, but neverthel less
tiattery.
"Another very vital point to re.
member is that this season Yakims
and Wenatchee have produced more
than 20, 600 cars of apples while HooC
River will not produce to exceed 2 50t
cars. Is it any wonder that people
from the west are able to find more
Washington apples than they do Ore
| gon apples on sale IN the east?
Hood River sales this season in ter
ritory east of Chicago will be approxi
mately 1900 cars of apples and pears
or about 500, 900 boxes, and surely
| some one must sell them. Another
feature not to be overlooked is thai
the selling agencies operating in The
! Northwest other than our own have
spent very large sums of money over
long period of years advertising North
western apples. and as rule they
feature the state of Washington rather
than Oregon. But during this cooper
ative advertising campaign mentioned
by MIR. Strandborg Oregon received
far more than her rightful share o.
publicity when the tonnage is com
pared.
IL lived in Oregon for a number O.
years. and while my business keeps m,
here, my heart is still there and fee
that no one has been more earnes
advocate of Oregon and its products
than have. But | do not like to Sc,
the situation misstated. and |. VIII,
know the east nearly as well as d
the west, can truthfully say that Ore
gon is not SO badly abused and entirel'
unknown as MIR. Srtandborg woulC
have you believe, but rather bette
than Washington and about one-tentI
as well as California.
again, when in Europe, that is
England. Scotland, Ireland. France
Norway. Denmark and Sweden, las
spring | found 20 people who kney
much of Oregon to one of Washington
Everyone knew Of California. Thi
proves that advertising pays.