Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1924-04-12
CITRUS DIFFERENCE
NEAR BREAK OVER
GREEN FRUIT LAWS

ORLANDO, Fla, April 10-The
state green fruit law drew fire
Thursday from delegates from all
over the state to the general citrus
conference which was called to or
der by Z. l.. Writ, Of Barlow, pres
ident protein. Over Thousand rep
resentatives Of the industry were
on hand, and came near causing
complete disorder as a result Of ar
guments.
The resolutions committee had
hardly concluded readings of the
report when S. r. Sigh, of Orlando,
rose to object to the increase of acid
test percentages.
IF you adopt this new proposal
for the acid test increase there will
not be an orange shipped out of the
state until February and hardly
grapefruit at ALL" Mr.. Sigh de-
clared. "You will be turning the
markets over to California shippers"
There was a general scramble for
recognition, but Mr. Sigh continued
his objections.
THE market conditions today"
said Mr.. Sigh, are not the result
OF our acid test law--it is the result
of the coloring of fruit and the color
clause of our law is causing this
state its greater part of trouble.
Those shippers who color their fruit
and get them past the inspectors,
and those who, because they have
fruit slightly colored in the natural
| state and get by the acid test, rush
| them on the market to get he open
| ing and top prices-they are the
| ones who are causing the industry
the setback it is now experiencing.
And | move that this clause be
tabled"
was on his feet instantly. He made;
a plea to the growers mot to table
| the resolution, but to discuss it and
amend it so as to cover whatever
| points We're needed"
IF this convention tables this
resolution" he said lit might as
well stop right here, for we will
| be just where we We're when we
! started this meeting. The growers
| should get the kind of laws they
need for their protection if every
commission house is forced TO go
| out of business.
Discussions that followed were to
| the effect that the acid ties flaw was
not the cause of the resent democrat
| lied market but its abuse. The elm
! inatlo nof November as the ear
! lest day oranges could be shipped
without acid test was strongly advo-
| Gated and embodied in article one
as amended, This article was pre-
viously amended to read. IAN acid
| test requiring a minimum of ratio
! OF TO l on oranges and I to l on
! grapefruit as a basis for declaring
such citrus edible" Many speakers
advocated carrying the inspections
on until January l and make the
| test the sole requirement OF ship
| ping and not '@'or.
I'VE must have a law with teeth
| AAN H. uSNIc'Itu IL ouA NpAi. VI
Leesburg. Fruit is being shipped
out of tn" state, which is unfit for
| consumption and we all know it.
| The only way to stop it is to 1--we
that fruit condemned by the inspec-
tors taken 10 the dump and not as
! in many cases recarted to some 9th
er packing house and sent out, some
times into Canada, but mostly al
ways into our markets of the north -
| K. E. Rose, state chemist. said that
! II it was attempted to change the
/ present law regarI.ng the test Of
citrus fruits, 1T would be at least
! fourteen years before it would be
/ possible to set a national law passed
covering the changes The vote
/ was finally ado"-ed. changing ar
! ticle one with the amendment as
/ proposed, re-establishjns the ratio as
/ embodied in the present law.
Chairman Pro Tenn. Writ and Sec
rotary Pro TEN. Frank Kay Ander-
son, of C.lando. ,,,re both ,.-cieG
as permanent officers.