The Fruit Market’s Race to the Bottom

In the marketing of Kennewick’s fruit crop, history does repeat itself. The conditions that prevail today down on Front street among the dealers and marketing agencies is the same condition that has prevailed every year. Make the rounds of the marketing houses and you will be told the same old story: 'There is no reason in the world why all of Kennewick’s peach crop should not have been marketed at prices five or ten cents a box above the quotations of the past week. We had so many cars sold at such a price on such a day when the other fellow kicked over the traces and cut the price. We were forced to meet it or have the peaches go bad on our hands.' This isn’t an exaggeration. It is a cold, regrettable fact. There isn’t an operator on Front street today who will not tell you that useless, senseless price-cutting at this end of the line is responsible for the low prices and that the other fellow is the guilty culprit. If this happens season after season, it gets monotonous and is disastrous to the country. This year it was hoped that through the organization of the growers’ council and the shippers’ league, the 'other fellow' would be held under control. But some operators have stuck no better than they have ever stuck. Even though the growers’ council has been unable to hold the operators in line, it should at least be in a position to ascertain who violated the agreement and sacrificed the rights of the producer. If this information is in the hands of the council, it should be given freely to every fruit grower in the district. This paper is informed that local buyers and agencies were under agreement to hold a minimum f.o.b. price of 35 cents on peaches until Wednesday, August 18. We are further informed that on Friday, August 13, a quotation of 32 1/2 cents a box was sent out and prices went tumbling.