The $100,000,000 Fruit Crop Looks for a Fair Price

Tentative plans for the foundation on which they hope can be built a comprehensive marketing organization to handle the $100,000,000 fruit crop of the Northwest have virtually been completed by the Northwest Farm Market Commission, which concluded a two days meeting in Seattle last week. Though progress necessarily will be slow, the commission hopes to be able this season to get a movement under way by which the farmer who produces a box of apples at an actual cost of a dollar or more will be able to get at least that much instead of the 50 or 60 cents a box for which many of them had to sell the last season.

The five members of the commission are: E. M. Gillette, Malaga; John W. Langdon, Walla Walla; C. King, Benton, Hood River, Ore.; J. R. Schwartze, Yakima; F. H. Moses, Cashmere.

On Monday, A. C. Cherry, attorney for the commission, gave out in Yakima the long-awaited contract forming the basis of agreement between the growers and their community, district and northwest organizations. The plan follows very closely the California Fruit Exchange’s scheme of organization. It provides for sale of stock to growers, who must own common stock to control their own organization; for contracts binding growers to the organization for not less than three years, with six years being optional. All local units must be fundamentally alike to easily effect their union with larger district organizations and later with the central organization covering the northwest.

“Tentative plans have been prepared,” said Mr. Cherry, “for local associations, so that growers not now organized and who want to further an effective fruit marketing movement can organize at once. The commission has proposed a basis of organization sufficiently elastic to meet the needs of different communities and to be merged into any comprehensive plan adopted.

“Naturally, any system through which the Northwest fruit crop can be marketed profitably cannot be developed overnight. It must come by slow growth on the right foundation. The commission has prepared a ground plan to meet the immediate requirements of local associations, and sufficiently elastic to mold into whatever comprehensive plan is ultimately adopted.

“The commission regards this preliminary work as important and does not want to take snap judgment, no matter how good some of the marketing proposals look. The members of the commission are practical men. They know what the fruit growers require and they are going to be sure that whatever they propose will do the business.

“At the next meeting of the commission a definite report will be made on what the commission hopes will be the beginning of a marketing organization which will make possible the development of the Northwest fruit industry on a permanent basis.”

There will be a meeting of the growers of this valley in the Community hall, Hanford, at 8 p.m., Tuesday, the 18th, for the purpose of hearing the report of our delegate, Jay Smith, on plans outlined by the Committee of Five appointed some time ago by the president of the state chamber of commerce. He will also have forms of contracts and plans of organization recommended by the committee to be used by all local organizations. Mr. Smith will give full particulars in the matter at the proposed meeting and every grower should attend. DAVID ZERWEKH