The Kennewick courier-reporter. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1914-1938, 1926-01-21
Saws Union Has Extended
Markets and Increased
The Tonnage
OTHER GRASS GLUTS
INVEST MARKETS
Willing to Open Books to
Public Committee Daily
on Transactions

Lee Lampson, manager of the
Three Rivers Growers association
writes from Wenatchee, where he has
been on business for the past week,
answering the article written by
Mr.. Moores in last weeks, issue of
this paper concerning the marketing
problems facing this community. Mr..
Lampson's letter follows
was very much interested in Mr..
Moore's discussion on marketing. 1t
may serve, and l know he hopes it
will, to bring out an analysis of the
situation which will be of benefit to
the community. l have worked out
and l am presenting at the end of
this reply, a definite proposal along
the lines Mr.. Moores suggests.
First, the following statement
should be especially analysed:
"Should the farmers agents in this
community really cooperate and fix
prices instead of cutting them, they
would soon find themselves looking
for newer and broader markets"
During the past four years, our as
10000 to $4,000 crates and from one
straight car in a season to &c. We
HAVE looked for "newer and broad
er markets" and sold that entire in
crease in those new markets each
year at price that has encouraged
nearly every grower in the Columbia
and lower Yakima valley to plant as
paragus. The association sent its
manager thru Canada from Calgary
to Winnipeg, down thru the Dakotas
to Aberdeen, east to Minneapolis,
Milwaukee and Chicago. On the re-
ture the markets were worked from
: Kansas City north to Sioux City,
from there to Denver, north to Mon
tana including number of towns in
western Nebraska and Wyoming, and
nine or ten different markets in Mon
tana. A large number of markets
were worked between the large mar
kets mentioned in the central west.
The association HAS Cooked for
newer and broader markets" and sold
and distributed the tremendous in
crease in production at a price that
has made asparagus growing about
the most attractive agricultural in
dustry in central Washington today,
both for the association member and
also for the Independent.
know Mr.. Moores agrees that If
we had not worked for "newer and
broader markets" the valley would
be blowing up its asparagus today IN
stead of planting more.
Last year we sold "a per cent OF
the association asparagus In distant
markets. We would have sold much
bigger percentage than that on dis
tant markets but often we had few
hundred crates left over after loading
car which could not be held until
the next car and then shipped such
long distance. We also had consld-
cradle offgrade grass which we could
not put into eastern car lots without
running market connections which
we needed for future increase. we
knew better than to do this. Both the
leftover and the "offgrade' had
to be sold ON the Northwest markets
and even this we sold for as much
or more than any other agency sold
a like quality of grass for on the
Northwest markets the same day. Il
the other agencies will open then
books and entire records to the public
as we are not only willing but an
xious to do, we will prove the falslty
of til statement that some one has
made to Mr.. Moore that we were
cutting prices.
The whole trouble with the North
west market is condition whlct
nearly everyone is overlooking. Iha
is that the independent average, mo-
only in our immediate valley Du
from The Dalles to Lewiston, White
Bluffs, Sunnyside and over on I'M
coast, particularly Kent and Puyal
lup territory, has increased to tn
point where this independent" gras
has practically saturated the North
west markets. 1t is only a question o
this year Or next until the independ
ent grass will have increased to tn
point of completely running tne
Northwest markets before the seas
On has hardly started, even II tn
association finds it possible to shl
every box of it's grass in car lots t
the East. g.-.-...
1t is nothing short of ridiculous t
blame the association for poor North
west markets when it is actually put
ting "a per cent of its output an
every oox possible into distant MAJ
kets and the independents have don