White Bluffs spokesman. [volume] (White Bluffs, Wash.) 1907-1938, 1928-08-10
LOCAL GROWERS APPROVE
ORGANIZATION PLAN

About forty growers in the vic
Unity of White Bluffs attended the
meeting in Liberty hall Monday eve
ming, called for the purpose of ex-
planning and discussing the aims of
The Central Washington Growers
Association" an Organization of
farmers that is being perfected in all
of the fruit districts OF Washington,
Oregon and Idaho. n
Edmund Anderson, who was ap-
pointed an organization committee
man for White Bluffs at the prelim-
mary meeting in Yakima a few weeks
ago, was elected chairman of the
meeting and r. J. Roberts, secretary
Roy Matson, a Large grower at
Selah and chairman OF the executive
committee of the organization being
perfected, and F. o. sHagie, manag-
/ ing secretary of the Yakima Chamber
of Commerce, were both present at
the meeting and explained the pur-
poses of the organization and some
of the things it hopes to accomplish.
At the outset of his talk, Mr.. Mat
| son said that it was not tie purpose
of the promoters of the project at
this time to work out selling or
ganization; that the principal pur-
pose at this time was to get at
least 70 per cent of the growers in
to one organization, whether they
were independent shippers or market
ed their fruit co-operatively or
through some of the established
agencies, for the purpose of dis
semirlating knowledge and informa-
ton pertaining to the fruit industry,
particularly spray residue, freight
rates, advertising and. legislation.
In their present disorganized con-
dition, Mr.. Mission said, the growers
were not in position to work in
telligently or effectively on any OF
those four major problems that are
threatening the very foundation of
the industry. The spray residue
matter, he said, was net as acute
now as it had been but there was
still room for Improvement over the
present method in removing the lead
from the fruit.
Because the bulk Of the boxed
fruit raised in the West is consumed
in. the East, freight rates are very
important item, the speaker pointed
cut. Something to the growers adj
vantage might be accomplished if
they could present united front in
the fight for lower freight rates.
Also, due to their disoranized con-
d.tion, growers of Northwest boxed
apples had been doing little if any,
advertising, Mr.. Matson said, while
the growers of competitive fruits such
as bananas, oranges, etc, were well
organized and were spending millions
of dollars fer advertising space in
newspapers and magazines. in the big
19s 11is ] effsetivsnsss ] 81 tliis l aavsrtising @
is told in the unparalleled increase
in the consumption of the advertised
fruits and the steadily decreasing con-
sumption of western apples.
Statistics, the speaker pointed out,
show that there were more carloads
of bananas consumed in the United
States last year than there were cars
of apples raised in the country and
every one Of these bananas was
grown on foreign soil and imported
into this country free of any duty.
If the Northwest growers were or
ganized, Mr.. Matson said, possibly
they could bring enough pressure to
h2ar to have tariff placed on the
bananas.
At the close of the meeting, con-
tracts were circulated and nearly
every grower present signed up.
Following this, board was elected.
This board is composed of the fol-
lowing growers: r. ]. Roberts, j..
E. Baker, Edmund Anderson, w. S.
Argle and A. T. Hostetter.
The board plans to visit all of the
White Bluffs growers not at the
meeting, in the hope of getting as
nearly a 100 per cent membership
as possible.
The chance of any sales agency to
gain control of the organization is
barred by one Of the clauses in the
bylaws, which prohibits any person
receiving compensation in any way
for selling or handling fruit, from
holding any office.
A seventy per cent membership OF
all growers in Washington, Oregon
and Idaho must be secured before the
organization becomes effective. Ex-
ceptional success in! signing up grow
ers has been had in all of the meet
ings SO far held.
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