Taken From Daily Facts & Citrograph of 1895
 

Arthur Gregory Did Not Cut Orange Prices.

January 2.   Reports have recently been circulated that A. Gregory is quoting cut prices for oranges. He said the rumor that quoted Fancy navels at $1.75 was one of a series of telegrams with a Portland firm, which telegrammed Mr. Gregory for prices. He quoted $2. Then came a telegram saying they could do 15¢ better. Mr. Gregory replied that if the association is selling for $1.85, we will accept an order for the same. Later the same day he found that the association was not selling below $2, and he telegraphed that the association is not selling for less than $2 and that he would not fill an order for less than that. He then received a telegram "Cancel order - Exchange is offering to sell at $1.50.. We are glad to set Mr. Gregory right before the people and to have assurance that Mr. Gregory has not disposition to cut association prices.

Daily Facts: Riverside Exchange "Butchering prices"

Jan 2 . The exchange at San Francisco offered oranges at the following prices: Fancy Washington Navels @ $2, Choice Navels $1.75. As the freight to SF, the expense of selling add about $.50, this is a cut below the Association Prices. Now that the Exchange has deliberately cut the price 50¢, we should hear no more that the Redlands growers are a menace to cooperation, but this will not be the case notwithstanding the fact that Redlands has always stood for higher prices than the exchange. We have been prepared by hints from many sources that the chief work of the exchange this year would be to coerce all growers into joining that body. The exchange stands ready to wreck the market, to introduce chaos in the hope that they can bring form from the unformed wreckage. Last year the Exchange Associations of Riverside treated Redlands in a shameful manner, showing no regret that the name of Redlands was branded on 100 cars of frozen Riverside fruit. Abandoning the FOB principle and throwing the oranges on the market to auction at any figure offered, the exchanges have deserted the most cherished object for which they were organized.

"Orange Grower" Attacks Riverside Exchange"

Your comments hit the nail squarely on the head, but it exposes the unscrupulous, not to say dishonest methods of this organization, which attempts to control for its own benefit all the oranges grown in Southern California, and make everything a tail to Riverside's kite. If there is a man, woman, or child living in Redlands today who does not know that Riverside is the uncompromising, bitter, unrelenting enemy of this city and everything connected with it, products and all, then it is high time they learned that fact. Riverside has lied about this place by day and by night. It has lied about our orange, our growth, our orchards. It has lied ever since Redlands was started from the very lust of lying. its exchange lied about our oranges last year, claiming they were frozen. It lied when it claimed it was making no consignments. It lied when it claimed it had nothing to do with packing Riverside frozen oranges under a Redlands brand. It is lying this year when it attempts to cut the price of oranges and then lays the blame on Redlands. To cover its own lies, it shouts "Stop, thief" at the top of its voice while issuing a cunning circular, a copy of which appeared in the last Citrograph. The Riverside Fruit Exchange in brief is an inspired liar. As far as Redlands is concerned, and I guess every other place that it cannot bring under its control, if the Redlands Orange Growers' Association or any other packer or any other orange grower knows when he is well off, he will have nothing whatever to do with the Riverside Fruit Exchange or with the Riverside orange growers in any way, shape, or manner from this time until the end of the world. If they do, they will sooner or later get left, as sure as the sun rises. Redlands is able now to stand alone. She asks no odds, no favors, and no advice from Riverside. Any information of any nature whatever given by the Redlands exchange or by any packer or by any grower to the Riverside exchange, no matter in how good faith, will, whenever the occasion arises, be used against us. Let the Redlands orange growers no matter through whom they are marketing their fruit, "put this in their pipe and smoke it." Let Riverside strictly mind its own business. We can attend to our own in Redlands. Respectfully , Orange Grower.

J.S. Edwards Defends the Exchange

January 4. . Pleased to note your editorial on marketing our oranges. Not pleased with your position. Last year the exchange was largely experimental because much fruit was outside. Had it all been inside, there would have been nothing problematic about it. You complain that the exchange was unable to correct an evil that has existed ever since the fruit industry began, that is, shipping fruit under a false name. Riverside fruit under a joint name of Riverside-Redlands brand. I am informed that it was allowed last year as the choice of two evils, the highest ideal of the average voter. Had that fruit not been in the exchange it would have been marketed under the same brand. One of the chief reasons the Redlands Association gave for not going into the Exchange last year was that they understood that their brand would not be allowed. Redlands should have had a man on the exchange to look after her interests. She should have had one this year. That affront, as you call it, was much magnified. Had the fruit been shipped under the name of Redlands alone, it would have been more serious. By the way did you ever hear of the Earle Fruit Company doing anything of that kind? You assert that the Redlands organizations have been uniformly paid more for fruit than the exchanges. That is simply false unless there was only one Redlands organization last year. In the second place, neither that organization nor any exchange bought fruit. In the third place the net return to the grower was by no means uniformly greater through the association than through the exchanges. Now this year the Telegram, published by "L" shows that the Rose Brand, established with great pain and expense and close culling, gets no more than a preference over a pack that is new and unpretentious. You speak of cooperating next year if the exchange pleases us. It is very doubtful if the southern California exchange spends more time wooing the high-headed Redlandsers. As to the butchering of prices at the San Francisco auction, bear in mind that navels outside the exchange were quoted as low as $1.65 at point of shipment so that even the auction price is not much of a cut. But that probably had nothing to do with the auction. Four-fifths of the fruit is in the exchange, one-fifth outside. The exchange does not propose to hold its fruit while other fruit is going to market unless it wants to. The exchange never pledged itself not to consign fruit. Neither did the Redlands Association. Neither would anyone else who knows what he is talking about. Exchange could and would regulate consignments if it controlled the fruit. The exchange is the growers themselves doing business for themselves. they will react to any emergency that seems best under the circumstances.

Facts Editorial Defends Redlands FOB Marketing

January 5. . Mr. Edwards in his article in the newspaper last evening repudiates our doctrine that the world profits by the friction of ideas. He takes for granted that we must be insincere, dishonest, or ignorant because we differ with him as to the better method of marketing for the orange grower. the claim that we made that Redlands Association fruit has been invariably marketed at a higher price than through the exchange is denied by Mr. Edwards. Reports will show that we told the truth. We will not attempt however to go into ancient history. The quotations of the present season are sufficient. The exchange has sold fancy navels at auction in San Francisco for $1.50. We note the sale at $2 since. At the present time the Exchange is quoting fancy navels at $2, and the Earle Company and the Redlands growers are quoting at above $2 FOB today. Looking over the history of orange marketing, we note a few evils. Uncertainty of price at time of shipping and a lack of system of distribution in various markets. The best system would give cash in hand to the grower when the fruit was placed in the cars. That is the system for which the Earle Company and the Redlands Association are contending. On the other hand the Exchange is shipping to the market without the fruit having been sold, depending on good luck to be able to dispose of it at a favorable price.

Edwards re "Orange Grower

Letter to the editor from complaining about a letter attacking Riverside without naming the writer other than "Orange Grower"

E.G. Judson re "Orange Grower"

I wish to register my protest against the wholesale condemnation of Riverside and its people as set forth in the letter signed Orange Grower. Many things may have been done and many words spoken against us by certain residents there. Riverside is composed of just about the same class of people as Redlands. It seems manifestly unfair to condemn the whole for the actions of a few. We have friends there by the hundred and I think to write and also to publish a letter such as the one referred to was very unwise to say the least.

Facts Editorial re Riverside Press

Riverside press feels Redlands has been meddling with the Exchange methods. It admits that certain packers put the Exchange in a bad light by false branding. This is the first expression of regret that we have had from the press for the affair. It cannot well be forgotten that when the expose was made last year, the press had not a word of apology or regret to offer. We have no war to wage on the Exchange, and never have had. We believe however that all discussion of marketing fruit is of public interest. We feel free to point out what we believe to be weaknesses in the method.

Facts Offers Olive Branch to Riverside Exchange

Feb 6 We would not be surprised to see the exchange organized in Redlands next year, nor would we deplore the fact that we believe that its policy must be friendly to Redlands.

Mislabelling fruit by Thacker Brothers

The Riverside Press reports that the Riverside Fruit Exchange hears from reliable sources that the Thacker Brothers are packing orange County oranges and wrapping the top layer in their Redlands and Riverside wrappers. Also they are putting Riverside Fruit Exchange on their cars. It is unknown how they secured such banners. There should be a law fixing a severe penalty for such fraudulent branding.

Riverside Press Accuses Earle's "Sunflower" Label

Dec 21 c A rebuke to the Riverside Press for making contemptible insinuations regarding the misbranding of fruit by Mr. Earle, saying that he shipped frozen fruit under the name "Sunflower". The editorial points out that the label was used for his best fruit and that he has never shipped frozen fruit.

Price of Oranges

Price of oranges up to $2.50 a box by January 22, 1895. $6 a box on the East Coast.

Weighing Oranges Unfair to Redlands

Feb 6 Packers are registering kicks against the railroads for raising prices by laying down the rules that oranges must be subjected to actual weight rather than the heretofore estimated weight. This discriminates against Redlands by several cents per box, because Redlands produces the heaviest fruit.

Orange freeze in Florida Helps Redlands

Feb 11 "This is the brightest day in the history of the orange industry." The citrus crops in Spain, Italy, and Florida have frozen. Redlands growers will continue to have a good crop.

Orange box weight estimate.

Feb 15 The railroads have amended their new rule for orange shipment. the old method was to estimate the weight of oranges at 70 pounds per box. The decision will estimate at 72 pounds per box, which pleases the Redlands orange growers.

No Unsigned Letters in Facts

Note in the Facts - The Facts wishes to lay down a rule for all correspondence in the future. Hereafter all correspondence must bear the name of the writer.

Citrus Fair opposed by Judson

Feb 23 Judson letter to the editor. Proposed southern California Citrus Fair .Redlands growers do not need to advertise that way. They should spend their money at home.

Five Packing houses

Feb 26 There are five packing houses. The oranges are hauled there by teams from the orchards, the fruit when picked having been packed loosely in boxes. At the packing houses they stand for a few days for a sweating or curing process. They then run through a grader which separates them according to size, and defective fruit is picked out by hand. The deft fingers of young women place a paper wrapper on each orange, and it is neatly packed in a box. The box is filled to about one inch above the top of the box, the fruit being crowded down as it is nailed down. With more than 300 boxes in a car, the car is sent to an eastern market. The fruit does not leave without an order from the east, Redlands fruit being sold on an FOB basis, rather than by auction The packing house of I.L. Lyon and son is run by Leland Lyon. Fifty carloads are expected to be shipped this season, including the "Rose" brand of the Haight Company and the "Sunflower" brand of the Earle Company. Arthur Gregory has a large warehouse, and Porter Brothers of Chicago have shipped a few cars from the Southern Pacific Depot. About 450 carloads will be shipped from Redlands this year.

Lemon Growers Association Founded

Oct 5 c Notice of the proposed By-Laws of the Redlands Lemon Growers Association.

Oct 12 c the Redlands Lemon Organization is now fully organized with the following well-known growers as officers and directors: A.B. Ruggles, A.E. Sterling, J.D. King, H.H. Smith, H.H. Pettit, President C.R. Paine, and Vice-President H.H. Garstin.