The Oroville weekly gazette. [volume] (Oroville, Wash.) 1905-19??, 1922-09-15
PROMINENT
FRUIT BUYER
Mr.. r. w. Holden Comes Out Of The
East and Meets up With the
Or0ville Orchardists.

r. W. Holden, a member OF the wide-
ly known fruit buying and distribute
ing firm OF Smith & Holden. New York
|City, spent Friday In Oroville occom-
Ipanied by his young son, Parker. The
Smith-Holden firm Is one Of the lar
gest contractors engaged In the fruit
and vegetable business in the great
metropolis and their activities In the
way OF buying cover much of the
United States. They handle domestic
fruits and vegetables entirely. Their
contracts cover the early potato crop
of Florida, the early fruit crops OF the
Carolinas and California and tle apple
crops of the east and the northwest.
The tonnage they handle Is enormous
and the money represented In the
transactions runs up into Thousands.
Looking after the business of the
firm Mr. Holden does much travelling
and there are no fruit districts Of the
United States that ne has not visited
in person and personally met growers
and shippers. He has made frequent
trips to this state and has handled
large quantities Of Washington apples,
which he considers among the best
fruit that comes to his house. This
was Mr.. Holden's second trip into this
part of the valley and he was favor
ably impressed with the appearance
of the orchards and the high class of
fruit grown this year.
The Smith Holden people handled
considerable Of the Oroville out.
put last year, and growers found
the firm honorable in its dealings.
So well satisfied are our local
growers with the treatment received
in former bushes dealings that some
IL orchardists, representing at least
60 car loads, have signed contracts
with the Smith Holden firm.
A very pleasant incident Of the visit
was supper rendered to growers and
a few citizens Of the town by Mr..
Holden at the Hotel de Grubb. last
Friday evening. Twenty-one invited
guests sat down to long table, tempt
ingly decorated with baskets of rich
fruit and grapes, and the chicken din
ner served was only such a toothsome
meal as could be put up by the Hotel
de Grubb. At each plate was hand
some souvenir in the shape of nickle
match box, present from the gem
tleman giving the supper.
When the feature of the dinner was
reached which embraces the cigar, af-
ter the demands of the inner man
have been answered, w. A. CRUDE in
troduced the host Of the evening. Mr..
Holden stated that he was not public
speaker and hence would attempt no
address, but he went on to some
length explaining the fruit situation
in the east and the ways and means
shippers had of handling shipments
entering into New York. He could not
possibly give any definite idea as to
the apple market in the east. He stated
that the eastern apple yield was unu-
sually heavy this year and that the
New York market was glutted with
the earlier varieties of apples. Not
only had large crop from the eastern
states been dumpd upon the market
but very large shipments had been re-
| ceived from Canada which had re-
suited in the market being overloaded
and consequently low prices prevails
He was more optimistic as to the later
apples and believed that the market
would rally.
| His story of how the company Of
which he is member places products
l ON, o,-lya yaf nk1 s<A,
are employed to create markets was
livery interesting, commencing in tho
|spring VITA the shipments of Florida
potatoes and then following with
Strawberries from the south and the
|soft fruits. The quantities of fruits
and vegetables that are required daily
to meet the demand of so large q city
as New York is marvellous. Mr.. Holden
stated that it required 600 car loads OF
vegetables and fruits alone to feed the
population. He told Of the railroad and
steamer piers and terminals where
products billed for the big city are
unloaded and explained the improve
ments to be made to INCREASE the un-
loading facilities.
Mr.. Holden covered much ground in
his talk to his guests, mucl of which
twas of a personal nature relative to
his travels through the country, the
manner in which his firm carried on
business and information regarding
the volume of business handled by the
houses to which these fruits and veg
etable shipments are consigned. He
could make no promises as to what
the market may be in the future.
thanked the growers for the conf
dence they had shown in his firm and
did promise to do the very best ip the
Ipower of the house for those with
whom the house may have dealings.
lAltogether, his remarks were both in
teresting and instructive.
The following are the names OF
those who were present: p. w. Hol-
den. Parker Holden. J. A. Blackler. w
r. Clark. w. A. CRUDE. Dan B. Hayden,
Harry Irwin, ]. M. Irwin, George Pulls,
f. F. Steiner. J. A. Spencer, s. A. San
born, G. J. st. Hill, w. II. Thayer
Robert Hill. F. NJ Dallam, Samuel
Blackler, J. H. Ingle. Oliver Balmes
is. B. Starrett, Jr.. G. L. Armstrong
Maurice Rumsey, Elton G. Rice.