Evening star., 1927-07-27
MARKETING GRAPE
CROP OPB|GPROBLEM
Authority to Move Product as
Juice in Tank Cars Asked
by Growers.
BY J.eC. ROYLE.

special Dispatch to The Star.
NEW YORK, July 27.--The BOOKS
of American vineyardists nave SHOW
1eures in red ink for several year =
.1d II was not the ''red INK thal 10
r,t I'm in wine bottles. This season
tbev face the problem OF marketins
what will prove unprecedenteu clopo
IN some sections and are seekils az
outlet for the product OF thousaiioa 40
n; hillsides and valleys pian'eu "
"ju;cc" grapes. , ranre.
The California growers, VINO lep.e
.o,t tho larger part of the juice grape
,ndnstrv. are seeking Federal autnof-
;t,, to distribute their product III the
forn, Of iuice hauled in tank cars, III
.taod of as fruit handled in refrlse-
orator cars. .nd
Thls is another of he ups ana
1ovns which have struck the juice
Crane growers since prohlbltion. ooihe
of them. when the wine industry was
banned. grubbed UP their orcharus'
others found a big market Tor IteSil
cranes in Eastern cities, especiaiiE
those with large foreign-born popuia
tions.
Fear Oyerproduction.
Eor time the price scared hlsh
ahove the level paid by wineries III
the pre-Volstead days. Large new
areas were planted and theSe noN
are bearing, or shortly VIII De. H.o"
ers fear this means serious oNe
duction. ;,,;oe
The three kinds of grapes-Juice'
r.isin and table-constitute Calltof-
MAS third largest crop. Micmgah'
New York and a dozen other STATES
arc interested to lesser degree. IN
California the farm value of the crop
IN 1925 was $4,000, 900. The bearing
.creare has increased to 662, 900 acres
and the property is valued at S5oo'ouV,-
O00 This land is developed among
thousands of small growers, ana tnelr
dif1iculties will certainly have sharp
effect on the banks and business
houses of their communities, ana on
PRODUCERS who sell to California.
Much of the loss in the past mas
been due to faulty marketing methoos;
Donald Conn, a market expert. anu
Ralph p. Merritt, president Oh the
Raisin Growers Cooperative Associa-
ton, are seeking to perfect an orgarl-
.ot,on comprising the whole industry
and co-ordipating marketing eHorts Oh
all three classes of grapes.
The i,1ice orchardists long have been
IN legal fog as to just what growers,
shippers and consumers can do under
the eighteenth amendment. The grow.
ers want a juice channel which Will
eliminate high cost of shipping fresh
fruit under refrigeration. They ask
for a ruling permitting unfermented
tuice or juice concentrates to be
shipped and sold.
Appeal to Federal Man.
The appeal is being made to II. n.
weeks, Federal supervisor OF wine
control, and part of the force assigned
bv the United States Treasury to pro
hibition enforcement. Weeks now Is
making q survey of the industry in
California. He disclaims authority to
make such a decision, but he has this
to say:
"I am sure the Treasury and the
Department of Justice will be found
ready to do what they can within
the law for the grape industry. |
have found the growers to be fine.
law-abiding people, who do not want
any special legislation or privileges,
but who need to have their position
clarified under the law"
Opponents of the tank-car plan OBJ
ject on the ground that the growers
of table and raisin varieties might
press and ship their juice when they
found their own markets overcrowd-
ed, thus congesting the juice markets
as WELL. Others point out that the