Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1920-03-12
HOW CO-OPERATIVE MARKETING
ASSOCIATIONS AFFECT
PRICES

L. sweet, president of the California /
Pear Growers Association, which
wildly illustrates the effect of CO.
operative marketing upon prices:
Sixty cents for a can of Bartlett
pears! Good night" SO said Jones
to the grocery clerk. What's the
idea, I used to buy the same brand
for thirty"
Jones is successful business man !
OF San Francisco. Mrs. Jones had |
phoned his office that afternoon,
Company for supper we haven't a
bit of fruit in the apartment, it's .
too late to order; now, Dearie, call
in at Goldberg S grocery and |
bring home a can of nice Bartlett |
pears"
Jones is a man who wants to be |
shown. He asked the clerk, What's |
the reason of this raise?"
why, Mr.. Jones, don't you read |
the papers? Senator Browne Of Los
Angeles, Mrs. Cleverdon of Berkeley,
Secretary Connolly of the Grocers'
Association and whole bunch of |
mayors are agreed that the farmers
are profiteering on us city guys; ami |
wicked Weinstock has organized |
them into terrible trusts to sting the |
consumer"
Believe me-" said Jones, YIN
going to investigate" as he jumped
into his Pierce-Arrow and sped home
to the apartment.
The next day he talked to a bank
err on that painfully popular theme,
Hight Cost of Living.
Inflated currency, diminishing
dollar, excessive demand for all
foods, restricted production of COM
modities due to the strike-habit-I
the customary aftermath of all big
wars. said the banker Mark
Sullivan said it in Golfers Weekly
in his remark that the dollar should
be renamed and designated dol
larette. We're all trading in fifty
cent dollars Now, Jones, your sixty
cent can of pears is really merely
old-fashioned thirty cents"
This is too abstract for me-" said
Jones. SO he asked prominent
Gamer who recently announced in
a financial letter to the press that
Gamers had all made phenomenal
profits this season, but now that it
had all been sold the price was really
too high and that the remedy next
year would be to pay the fruit grow
ers less for their fruit. Growers
must not expect such exorbitant
prices next season" The Gamer
told Jones all about higher cannery
labor costs, etc, but said nothing
about higher costs on the farm.
But Jones was thorough. He had
been told at secondhand about farm
ers' combinations. He wanted to
beard one in its den. He bravely
ventured into the office of the Pear
Growers association.
The retailer had passed the buck
to the farmers combine; the can
ner had followed suit. The mayor
and supervisors of the city that pre-
sents gold plates to the Irish presi-
dent, had emphatically berated the
far-off farmer Was this solution
correct?
Secretary Hamilton was at his
desk Said Jones, I'm going to ask
some important questions, While
I'm making double the money I used
to, it takes it about all to live com
fortably. Shoes, clothes, nurses,
housemaids, rent, theatre tickets,
all have gone up, and it's most ag-
gravating to have to pay more for
food.
"Why did the grocer charge me
60 cents for those pears? Why
don't your association sell the fruit
cheaper to the Gamer? I'm afraid
the growers are profiteering De-
fend yourself if you cant"
"All right" said the secretary,
lets annalyze your 60 cents. When
you paid, you laid on the counter a
four-bit piece and dime. What
did the grower get from the four-bit
piece? Not one penny! The grow
er gets the dime. Out of that dime
he paid for a whole years work in
the orchard-taxes, irrigation, spray
ing, blowing, tractors, compensation
Insurance, spray materials, distil-
late, housing for employees
"The owner and his family lived
and worked on only four pennies of
your dime Six cents he paid out
for employees and orchard expense.
eff the philanthropic grower could
afford to work for nothing and board
himself then pears might sell for
| four eanfs chaanar Or 6 cents Now, (