, 1935-09-04
MARKETING OF
CITRUS PLAN
Is DISCUSSED
Co Operative Agency
Favored By Miller
In Outlining Ideas
Before Growers

N5HGCA1A 70 1nG nGr14Ql
McALLEN, Sept. First draft
Of q plan for the centralized mar
keting OF the Lower Rio Grande
Valleys 6,500-car citrus crop dur
ing the 1885 season was present.
ed ut q meeting of 600 Valley grow
ers called by the South Texas
Citrus League at the First Baptist
church here Tuesday night. Other
growers attending the meeting ia
vored the plan which viii be pre-
sented at two other growers meet
tngs at Weslaco Wednesday night
and Harrington later In the week.
The plan was presented by Banks
l. Miller, McAllen broker and corn
buyer who has Just completed a
coo. O00-bushel corn deal in the VAL
lev Miller entered into the citrus
matter at the request Of officials OF
the citrus league.
MiliisTs suggestion is based on
efforts Of League officials to CEN
tralize marketing Of Valley citrus
for the first time during the COM
ing season. For the past several
weeks, the league has been holding
meetings In various parts OF the
Valley TO interest growers and
shippers, both independent and CO.
operative, in the idea Of a Valley
clearing house organization whose
chief aim would be to prevent vary
ing price quotations on the same
grades and classes Of Valley citrus
Miller suggested q sales corpora
ton, to be known as the Texas Cit
rus Sales corporation, as the unit
10 handle the citrus deal. He pro-
posed two methods Of operation:
either a percentage OF the price
received for the fruit TO 90 to the
corporation for its sales efforts,
which would place the organization
virtually in the same class as q CO.
operative marketing agency, or %
paw the grower a stated price PEI
pyund for his fruit. which would
place II in the class Of the OF the
Independent shipper or cash buyer,
Miller favored the former method
because he asserted Il would urge
the men IN the corporation TO get
better prices for the fruit and there
fore show them better returns. he
suggested a sales commission OF 10
De. cent for the corporation.
Miller offered TO expend slcO,OOO
70 get the corporation under way
and outlined new water shipping
methods by which Valley fruit could
be transported to northern and east
ern as well as European markets BY
beat through Port Isabel harbor. He
said IL would be necessary 70 pre-
coos the fruit to q temperature OF
so to SIS degrees +. to prevent blue
mod spores from running the fruit
while in transit. Experiments Win
air. conditioning of fruit boats have
been under way by the Waterman
Steamship Corporation, ort'atlng
between Cuba and Florida and the
eastern seaboard. for the past sew
eral years, Miller said. and this
method Of handling citrus has been
proven practicable. He SsV con-
stlLcti1n OF a preceding plant az
Port Isabel harbor would be nee
essary, hence the need for i'm
mediate action II the plan is TO Be
put into effect during the coming
season.
Miller explained that he was Will
inc TO 20 ahead with the suggested
rlan II a great majority Of the
growers in the Valley were shown
&. favor II at a series Of three meet
ings to be held in Weslaco and
Harlingen.
Present packing plants in the
Valley would be used by the corpo-
ration to pack the 1855 crop and
tney would be paid ut a reasonable
basis. Miller said II was planned 70
use as many persons now engaged
sr the Valley citrus deal as possible
and that as many OF the present
packing plants as possible which
are o available would be used 70
prevent loss to anyone now con-
nected with the industry.