The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1925-02-21
SUNMAID RAISIN
RAIDERS TURNED
LOOSE IN CALF.
Company Has Romantic
Way of Plundering
Especial to The Daily Workerl

i FRESNO, Cal, Feb. 19.-Leaving
behind in their wake wholesale de-
struction and terror, over 400 raiders,
belonging to the Sun Maid Raisin cor.
poration, transported in $50 automc
biles swept over Fresno and MADEIRA
counties last night, destroying vinei
yards and threatening raisin growers
with death if they refused to line up
with the Sun Maid Raisin corporation,
is the story told to District Attorney
George K. Lovejoy, by X. Arakelian,
one Of the biggest grape growers Of
MADEIRA county; Godfrey Jensen, Of
Sanger; K. Yagi and K. Mitsano Of
Fresno county.
Use "Iron" Tactic.
These are not isolated cases, there
are hundreds more but the grape
growers have been terrorized into
submission not daring to face the
wrath of the Sun Maid Raisin corpor-
ation-the raisin trust of California.
J Arakelian had previously refused to
sign up when over three hundred
acres of his vineyards were ravaged,
so he had to sign.
Yagi was visited one night and ask
ed to sign a similar contract. He
refused, so they threw rope around
his neck. With the rope around his
neck he was easily persuaded" to
sign up.
Jensen declares that his ranch was
visited, four acres destroyed and the
windows in his house were all brok-
en-. This was done in his absence as
Jensen comes from the land of the
Vikings and is a fairly good sized
specimen of his race.
The district attorney declares he
has no jurisdiction in the matter, yet
he has jurisdiction when it comes to
framing UP and railroading a member
of the I. w. w. Nearly one hun
bred members of the l. w. w. are ly-
ing in the penitentiary for merely be-
longing to an organization that is al
legged to do these things. The raid
ers of the Sun Maid Raisin corpora
ton do not advocate force and vio-
lence, they engage in it and the dis
trict attorney declares he has no juris-
diction in the matter.
Raisin Growers Give Up.
The raisin growers around Fresno
had a rough time during 1924 Il is
estimated that fully 95 per cent have
gone bankrupt. Many of them are
leaving their land without even taking
the trouble to be sued for back tax
es. They just walk off and make for
+he cities of Oakland and San Fran
isco with the hope Of finding a job
an unskilled laborer
The Sun Maid Raisin corporation
wants to create a monopoly so that
he raisin growers would be forced to
sell to them. The raisin growers OBJ
ject to the prices paid by this cor
poration. They are paying from u
to 2 cents per pound for raisins. It
must be understood that these raisins
are cleaned the bad ones sorted from
the good. It depends upon the rep
resentative of the corporation as to
whether the raisings are classified as
good or medium, IL the latter, the
farmer gets ~ cent per pound, IL they
are good he gets cents. These raj
sins retail in San Francisco for ten
to twelve and one-half cents per
pound.
Growers Get Low Prices
, A raisin grower averages around
1000 pounds per acre. This means
that a man with four or FIVE acres.
such as Jensen works all the year
round and produces 5000 to 10000
pounds Of raisins. At the end OF the
year he receives for his labors, raw
, materials used, ETC., any sum ranging
from $45 to $3.50. This may seem
incredible, but it is the statement of
raisin grower who has Joined the
Workers Party. His friends were for
Coolidge. They still hope that some
, thing might be done. The Sun Maid
: Raisin corporation is fast destroying
: such hopes.
: One raisin grower is going TO stick
! II out. He thinks that he will make
! another try and maybe 'this year viii
} be better than the last" What are
you going to do II the Sun Maid Raj
' sin gang get after your" we asked.
/ "I'll keep my own counsel" he replied
/. with a seriousness that BODIES Ill for
3 the raiders Of the Sun Maid Raisin
corporation.
The president of the Sun Maid Raj.
I sin corporation. Ralph Merritt, has
}. been suggested as the next secretary
4 OF agriculture.