White Bluffs spokesman. [volume] (White Bluffs, Wash.) 1907-1938, 1935-01-24

the formation of statewide growers
code and marketing agreement for
deciduous tree fruits for the purpose
of guaranteeing the grower cost OF
production, securing orderly marketing
of the fruit and eliminating many OF
the existing evils in the fruit indus
try.
Following approval of such an agree
ment by the state director OF agrlcul-
ture and the submission of the pact
to growers in every district of the state,
this code became law under the state
agricultural adjustment act.
Salient points of the code were that
the grower was prohibited from selling
his fruit at less than an agreed price; !
culls were to be sold only at mini
mum price of $3.50 per ton; all ship
pers and handlers were required to
take out licenses before being allowed
to handle the fruit, and shippers or
buyers were to make monthly reports
of the price paid for fruit, date OF
purchase and name of seller.
Following it's enactment, the code be-
came involved in litigation when
group of shippers sought restrain
ing order from the court prohibiting
the director of agriculture from en-
forcing the terms of the code. This
suit was decided recently and on the
9Th of January the presiding judge
handed down a decree UNFOLDING the
constitutionality of the code and re-
fusing the restraining order.
The latest development in the code
is an agreement recently made between
shippers, dealers and handlers OF fruit
and the code administration. "A. l..
Brockway, one of the men who first
conceived and drew up the code, and
director of the code board, in
statement to the Spokesman this week,
says:
"This agreement, formulated behind
closed doors January u practically
turns the Growers Code'S over to the
| dealers, as there are only eight mem
beers of the board and this addition
of nine dealers ends grower control
"The salient points of the agreement
are: All minimum prices on packed
apples are abolished and can only be
re-established by consent OF the deal
ers; nine dealer members are added
to the grower board of eight, giving
dealers control of all matters that de-
termine the future of the code; future
marketing agreements and regulations
shall be first submitted to these (deal-
err nominateO committees, dealers
agree to apply for licenses; the direc-
tor of agriculture doubles the assess
ment on the growers, part to be used
for advertising; shippers agree to turn
over the assessments that they have
collected from the growers to the dir
ector of agriculture; assessments are
to be charged, ultimately, to the grow
ers, railroads will be urged to assist
in preventing growers and others from
1 escaping the tax; spending the adver-
Using fund assessed against the grow
ers will be turned over to committee
one-half to be dealers; this agreement
to be kept out of court; organization
of the committee that is to spend the
growers advertising money is to be
I legalized by the director; let's all Work
together in collecting and spending
e this money assessment levied on the
J, grower.
"This agreement was made on Janu,
airy Z, while the decision Of the court
), reversing it's former opinion and per-
hitting the levy on the growers TO-
n advertising was not issued until Janu
airy 8.
IT resigned my position with tn
: code the morning of January 8 ant
disclaim any responsibility for thi
prostitution of the Growers Code"
] The text of the agreement between
the code administration and the deal
ers follows:
: 1. The Growers Code agrees that al
'e minimum prices or stop loss prices a
&c applying to all packed and bulk apples
- except culls, shall be suspended unit
further order on same, as hereinafte
y provided, from the effective date G
- this agreement.
re 2. There shall be created by exec
I'd utive order an advisory COMMITTEE
1t composed of nine members, four
whom shall be handlers Of fruit fror
= the Wenatchee district and four fro1
No. the Yakima district, to be nominate
ID by the dealer signatories of this agree
NJ ment, and j. G. Cheney. Said commit
= tee shall be organized under and b
~ virtue of an order of the Director
&c Agriculture, and, from and after TT
a effective date of this agreement, a
- orders to be promulgated under Ord'
10 No. 1873 shall be first submitted to tt
~ Executive Committee of the Grower
Code and said Advisory Committee II
full discussion and their recommends