Richmond daily register. (Richmond, Madison County, Ky.) 1917-1978, 1921-06-14

3bwell and his followers. The grow
IS had no money, but they were
b up their personal notes, for
Inn of years. and the bankers lik
ennheim and his associates agree
4 handle them by taking the note G
se association supported by thes
ties OF the individual growers, di:
limiting the association notes at fac
ith the support of these growers
hes. That is: if they took a group o
hsrs' notes for $1,000. the asso
S.n would issue note for Sl,oO
~ attach the growers notes as col
raj and the bank would discoun
81 900 at the current normal rat
Interest for six months. and keel
discounting a note until they hac
sney in from the crop to pay th'
DIVERS notes. They decided they
,uld go on that plan first.
Ehey next decided not 10 associate
Irely to form a big packing plant
! TO change the system Of mer
kndisins raisins. They said, some
sog is wrong with raisins when you
LII sell a real crop without having
n-,ce broken completely. When
raf , small surplus we are beat'
by the packers. We must enter
came all along the line, we must
|nre from the bottom up we
lat 10 stop playing the game OF the
Ter fellow. Instead Of an indus
in the hands of the men who own
,ootinp nIants, we want to put
i control of the men who own the
n who have everything IN the
'duction of raisins.
The First Contract.
,hey drew up form OF flVe-yeal
tracts under which it was agreed
Il these could be signed only by
.wers. Under this contract the
lwer agreed to deliver to the asso-
ion the total of his crop, all the
Inns he produced, for a term OF
years. Then the ASSOCIATION would
! all the raisins and grade them.
IFould first separate them into three
seeded and cluster.
In it would separate them by
hes within those types. linen
would sell all the ralsins--
! Id pack some in fifty-pound boxes
h some in twenty-five-pound boxes
he in small cartons, some in large
tons. They might put them out I'M
different brands and labels and
them all; they would give the same
arn to each grower, depending on
amount he put into any pool OF
particular type and any particular
Iety. Then the association would
l1ct what it estimated was the cost
ioing business, advertising and so
and limit the dividends on stock
per cent.
hey signed all the contracts con-
-ent on signing up Is per cent OF
entire raisin acreage Of the State
california. That represented 10 per
~ tbe entire raisin acreage of
United States. In short, these
wers consciously hit on the idea
YOU must have commodity con-
in order TO have a merchandising
ook. They hit as growers on the
that John D. Rockefeller and
n leaders Of industry in the United
.es have agreed is fundamental, a
& the growers were practically
d to until the raisin growers first |
overed it. They discovered it con-
usIy in 1911.
hen they started in some OF the
gers threw up their hands and said |
wouldn't think of such a thing.
DO you think I will give up my in
Iality?" they would say. Like
lucky, California has been de-
ped from good-thinlling and good
,ting people. The early Cali
ian, especially during the gold
cd, wassthe same type as the Ken
ian. He was a thinking fellow who
led a gun. Other growers got up
said, Talk about your great in
iuaiism! How much profit have
made out of it in the last two
IS? It must be great being a great
Tell me how much you
: had to say about the prices you
for raisins in the last two years
Nothing, admit"
Then what are you losing? You
not losing anything. simply TAX
over the right, taking it from the
b Five and giving it to yourself.
think we are trying to convert
from an independent American
serfdom, whereas it is the OPP
te story"
The Shock Troops.
owever, growers got up all over
room and objected. One fellow
cted to a five-year clause, thought
as too long. Others objected to u
year clause because it was too
I. They had differences on that.
lily they argued all those things
and decided if they would go in
! they would so in on permanent
J. They had had enough years Of
otker experience, and they knew
was wrong and thought they
1t as well give this thing a real
ice and see what they could do.
! knew they could not make COM
sial covenants on a one-year basis.
3ne in the trade would deal with
i for fear of being punished by the
Five or the Low Five the next
when the growers didn't have an
nization. They said, "A long