Payette enterprise. (Payette, Canyon Co., Idaho) 1909-1935, 1923-12-13

| when Walla Walla began Sn1pD1nE
y Third: The market went all t
v smash before shipments were hal
v sold. Fourth: Nearly all the grow
| ers lost money. Fifth: The buyer
: lost money also. Sixth: Somebod
, was to blame Seventh: The prun
| deal taken as a whole was a yer,
, sick proposition.
The first thing doctor does for
sick patient is to get correct di
agnosis of the case. Then, if tn,
doctor knows his business he will
prescribe the correct remedy. Nov
let US feel the pulse, look at the
tongue take the temperature ant
get few X-rays of this 'sick" prunC
deal.
In 1923, the total shipment oil
prunes from Idaho, Oregon and
Washington was approximately
| 5000 cars, or about double what they
shipped the previous season. Al
first glance this looks like a case
/ of over-production; but do not be too
hasty, this is but one symptom.
In former seasons the growers
have depended on the cash track
buyers and spectators to take a
large percentage of the crop, and
have consigned the remainder. Many
sales were made through various dis
tributors with headquarters in
Eastern cities. Many of the growers
did their own selling to track buy
| ers or consigned to Eastern markets !;
I but most of them got by with it last
season.
In 1928 many of the growers re-
allied that with heavy increase in
tonnage there would probably be
trouble in the marketing. Conse-
quenty they undertook to meet this
condition by certain form of or
ganization. The prune growers in
Washington and Northern Idaho and
the Milton-Freewater district en-
ployed one commission house to do
their marketing; The growers in
Southern Idaho, organized the Idaho
Prune Growers Association and
agreed to do business with about 70
or Is different distributors. Natur-
ally these various distributors and
individual shippers were aiming to
dispose of that portion of the crop
which they controlled and automati-
cally they were conflicting with each
other in the markets. 40 doubt most
of them selected the same markets
as destinations for their shipments.
with the consequence that all of the
large markets were over-supplied
This is boren out by the fact that
many Of the smaller markets receiy-
ed no prunes and some States which
could have used good many re-
ceiyed none at all.
The natural result of this COM
petitive system of distribution is
SICK market. Buyers were
afraid to put their money in prunes
because they did not know how many
cars would come into their market
on consignment and they did not
care to lose all their money on
prunes. They wanted to have a
chance to speculate a little in grapes
and peaches and apples. Conse-
quently all markets went dead, and
the cars rolled to the destinations to
which they were billed. When they
arrived they sold at the local market
price, which was destined by the
volume of prune business and other
business of competitive nature
which was on the market. Practi-
cally nothing had been done to slim
ulate the demand for prunes in most
or the consuming territory and the
maj result was the natural outcome
OF the existing conditions, which
can be summed up as follows
Doubled production: Lack of or
ganlzation at shipping point Too
many distributors. The entire cron
dumped on the large markets by
competitive distribution. BUYERS
AFRAID to invest. Even the buyers in
the small markets were afraid TO
invest because of the slump in the
large markets. The low prices nre-
valllng In the large markets fixed
the general prune market AT an nm
precedented low level
Inc diagnosis: Improper distri-
button resulting from competitive
marketing.
me Remedy: From past experi-
ence and observation, the natural
remedy would seem to be. organiza-
tlon, standardization, merchandise
ing and advertising. This means co.
operative marketing.
me best form of organization
would be that which provides that
the grower will for a period of five
years market through his local asso-
cation only. These locals shouId
then tederate into a Northwestern
Growers Exchange including the
prunes from, Idaho, Washington
and oregon, all under the asolute
control of the organized growers
themselves.
All should be shipped out under
one brand. Each local district couId |
nave its own brand in addition to /
the general brand if SO desired.
Another thing that should be rem
edied is the shipping of prunes
100 green which has been done in
various localities. There should no
4 regulation requiring certain ner.
cent Oh sugar contents before shin
nents are allowed to go forward
The distribution of the entire
'rop would be controlled through one
central office in the district. This
would inspire confidence amone the
buyers because all would then have
IN equal chance to make a nrofit on
heir purchases. on
When organized into locals and
eoerated into a central oreaniza
ION for the nrupa |