The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1921-11-03
CLARK LAUGHS'AT
STORY OF RING

+. f. Clark, sales manager OF the
Apple Growers Association, character
ICES as absurd recent press stories
which state that the local organization
will sell its apples only to ring OF
commission men. and that as result
eastern consumers are robbed and
the growers are being gOuged.
almost daily" says Mr.. Clark,
1--WE receive letters from individuals,
who ask for quotations on a carload of
apples. Our replies and demands of
part payment on the apples usually
ends the matter. When it is remem-
bered that carload of apples, when
it reaches eastern destination repre-
sents an approximate $1,000, you can
see how the individual speculator who
plans on making stake for himself
and revolutionizing the business, drops
out. AS for our organization selling
only to ring, we will sell carload
of apples to anybody who will deal
with US on legitimate basis, as does
the reputable commission man, and
who will pay US the price the commits
sion man pays us.
The story of the ring appeared in
the Telegram Tuesday night. A part
of it follows:
The ring discovery was announced
by the public markets committee of
the Chicago council following its visit
to Portland and other western cities to
investigate causes of high food prices
in Chicago.
Agreement by western growers to
establish their own agencies in Chicago
is the promise held out to the Chicago
public by the committee as a basis for
future lower prices.
Existence of such ring was dis
covered by the aldermen in Portland,
Ore, says the Chicago Tribune, dur
ing a meeting there with officials of
the Hood River Fruit Growers Associ-
alton and the Portland Chamber of
Commerce. The discovery came about
when Alderman Maurice f. Kavan-
augh, chairman of the public markets
committee, demanded of one of the
speakers information as to whether
any individual could purchase a carload
of fruit or if the buyer must be a
member of brokers ring. The speak
er is said to have reluctantly admitted
that the Fruit Growers Association
would not ship to individual distribu-
tors. He said there was system
which he admitted was synonymous
with a ring.
'In Portland, as in other leading cit
les of the west, said Alderman Lyle,
I'VE found the producers thoroughly
organized, but protesting ignorance as
to why they could not get bigger re-
turns on the shipments of food to Chi
cago. sin many instances they APP
peared to be fighting mad because, as
they said, they could hardly get suffi-
cient return from food products ship
ped east of the Rockies to Justify
them for harvesting and creating.
Producers in all of the cities we
visited were aware of the fact that
consumers in Chicago were paying eX-
prices for foods, and even be-
fore we discovered the existence of the
ring some of us had come to the con-
clusion that some of them we're not so
ignorant of the cause as they pretend
ed to be.
After counseling with growers and
business men day afer day members of |
our party became convinced that the |
producers and shippers from these
areas were sending their fOodstuffs to
special consignees in Chicago who are
spectators or unnecessary
and that these are 'jip-
ping both the producer and the con-
sumer.
''We were assured that within the
next few months that state market di-
rectors and representatives of fruit.
grain and nut growers as
sociations will take up quarters in Chi
cago and begin an entirely new deal in
the matter of marketing food supplies
shipped from west Of the Rockies. |
mean to ask the members of the city
council to collaborate with these men
and assist in breaking up this so-called
brokers' ring"