, 1935-02-17

ing address on Cooperation. or
Failure" was delivered at the Fourth
Annual Citrus Institute here this
week by Clinton Fraser, ST., secre-
tary and general manager Of the
Delta Orchards Development COM
pany:
Mr.. Chairman. Ladies and Gentle
men:
II is your serious interest in your
investment that brings you here.
You have not come 70 witness a
Roman holiday.
The price you are receiving for
statement must be true. regardless
Of the name or the nature Of the
agency that Is handling II.
The three cooperative exchanges
are not to blame for the price sit
uation. They are doing their heroic
best TO serve you. Too much praise
cannot be heaped on those who
pioneered in the effort 70 give US
cooperative marketing. and on
those who later put their shoulders
to the wheel.
II ! am correct in the thought
you are unhappy over present
prices. then, I take It. we are IN q
frame Of mind 10 re-examine this
plan Of selling.
! cannot think any grove owner
believes that 30 competing sales
agencies can obtain for you such
a price as could be had by one
selling agency, and that agency
responsible only TO the growers.
What would be the price OF Ford
cars If every agency were permit
ted to sell the cars as best IT could,
with nc strings on II? II Henry
Ford would adopt such q policy,
even citrus growers could afford
two cars for every family. and pref
ty soon Mrs. Ford would be taking in
washing. No. Mr.. Ford demands
and gets a reasonable price for his
product. and he does 1t because one
organization controls all sales.
That organization is controlled by
the producer. That is the way 1t
should be with our fruit.
May we not now seriously at
tempt to merge the three co-opera-
tiveS into one.
We think IL unfortunate that
many o. our neighbors did not
throw in with some n Of the
three organizations, and that some
who did throw in have withdrawn.
It Is freely admitted that If we
are 70 win with the cooperative
idea, We must not only have the
good will, bu: the assistance OF
the growers who have not joined,
as well as those who Withdrew.
Make no mistake about 1t. With
out them we shall fail, and with
out us they vill fail. Who Of your
neighbors would not respond II
your house were on fire? Be as
Sured that much more than your
house Is on fire. This whole VAL
ley Is ablaze, end the only way 10
stop this conflagration from con-
Suminz our homes and making
beggars OF US. Is to use the finest
fire fighting apparatus yet devised.
We have a fire truck almost
exactly like the one that put out
the big fire that ragged 50 long in
California Are we willing 70 use
it Suppose it does need some
little repairing, are we TO throw
It away on that account7 NO, not
unless we have lost u construc-
tive capacity.
Frankly, then. ! suggest one VAL
ley-wide exchange. What would DC
its name7
The name would not be so i'm
portant as the harmony It would
imply.
But before we pass TO a more i'm
portant phase Of this examination,
let's consider the name q mo-
menG. All who use our fruit
know It is raised in the Lower Rio
Grande Valley. Hence we do not
need to insist on naming the ex-
change for the noble river that
makes our superb fruit possible.
All native sons rise 10 cheer the
name OF Texas, and we who have
become sons OF Texas by adoption
WELD not one whit to them In our
affection.
What then would be more ap-
propriate. II one OF our co~operatives
will permit II, than that the new or
~ganization be called the Texas Cit
rus Exchange"
But that will not be the hardest
point to settle. When business al
over the United States went into
tail spin, and IL became necessary
TO adopt a new plan OF adjusting
trade practices, hours OF labor. prices
10 be paid for labor, and prices &c
be charged the consumer, those who
undertook that work found II was no.
SO difficult to work out a plan, a.
it was TO induce all Of us rugged in
dividualists to accept IL. And tha'
Is lust what every one Of US Is
whether we be democrats. republi'
cans, socialists communists or JUS
plain independents.
The code makers found II a heart
breaking task. Neither have they
produced the millennium but for some
reason We know business u much
better than It was.
Now II might as well be admitted
that we face a SIMILAR difficulty. Ir
every industry and undertook x
make a code there yer individual:
and organizations that showed great
tenacity In holding on TO what they
regarded as their particular per-
ouiSits. PrejudiceS were hard 70 give
up. Privileges wept like orphans, but
in the end those who were intent
on saving the whole industry. pre-
vailed.
II we are 10 undertake 10 reor-
ganize our marketing systems. why
not profit at the very first By that
experience? Why may we not right
now lay on the common altar any
special privileges we may think we
have7
In this matter. We cannot save our
neighbours business. without saving
our own. and II we do not cooperate
with him now. our own business will
60 to pot. II We will cooperate now.