The Farmville herald. [volume] (Farmville, Va.) 1890-1934, 1907-12-13
Merits Of PFIzIng System Versus Loose
Sale Method.

/ influential Tobacco men OfClarksNllle
r nn., is decidedly timely and presents
some new ideas in very logical man
ner:
GAINESVILLE, Tenn, November 3
10 the Western Tobacco Journal
After three years OF experiment IL
Is as good time as any 10 drop theory
for the moment and consider the mer'
its Of prizing on the actual results thus
far scored.
First, il should be noted that the
recent revival Of pricing has been on
very large scale, and conducted by
very strongly organized bodies, and
therefore presumably under most fav'
orable auspices
Since October 23rd several leading
facts Of startling significance have APP
peared in various press reports. These
reports are my authority for the facts
related herein.
In the Owensboro (Ky.) district the
bulk Of the Tobacco grown in 1909
1906 and 1907 has been controlled by
the American Society of Equity and
the Stemming District Association.
Pooled and priced, the 1905 and 1906
crops have been stored in warehouses
under expense and advances. Now
when the 1907 crop is ready for mar
ket, it appears that neither the 1906
nor the 1906 crop has yet been sold
the amount sold being about three
million, and the unsold about twenty
million pounds. This condition nat
urally caused widespread alarm, own
ers admitting their ruin If the grow
ers Of the 1907 crop should, by selling
first, supply the demand and thus in
crease the loss on the 1905 and 1906
Tobacco by leaving it still unsold. a
most strenuous effort was made to
prevent this, but with apparently only
small results. Practically the same
condition existed in the Henderson
district on a smaller scale, and again
in the Burley, but on much larger
scale than any. The various figures
given indicate that these three dis
tricts alone were still holding between
50 900 900 and 100000, OOOpounds Of the
1905 and 1866 crops unsold.
DESPERATE REMEDIES.
The remedies proposed have been
rather desperate in character. The
Owensboro people insisted that the
1907 growers should also pool and
prize. This would simply have meant
doubling tn, burden Of priced Tobacco
TO be carried under expense until sold.
The Burley people took a different
course. They voted to grow no To-
bacco i'm 1905. BY inference this means
that they will 90 ahead and prize the
1907 crop. If so, it means one burden
Of expense thrown on the Tobacco and
still another on the owner, this being
the full meaning Of a year Of idleness.
or. as Cassius NJ. Clay put 1t to a
meeting in discussing the resolutions;
"Thev will incite lawlessness, encour-
age the growth Of Tobacco in new ter
ritorv. and drive our tenants out Of the
country"
Acting last the Henderson people
sought and apparently obtained at
least temporary relief 10y taking the
bull by the horns and making a bulk
loose sale Of its 1907 crop to the I'm
peral Tobacco Company, thus avoid
ing any addition to It's unsold stock.
The prices fixed will average around
90. The grading Of the individual
crops has, however, not yet been done,
having necessarily been deferred.
Following the Henderson example
the Stemming District Association OF
Owensboro, has stree closed a similar
sale TO the American Tobacco Com
pany. but prices are not quoted.
As compared to these rival associa-
tons the Planters Protective Asso-
citation Of Kentucky and Tennessee
has done better, at least to the extent
that il has succeeded in selling each
crop. but a comparison with other
sales in the same district shows that
this has been done at the expense OF
nrice. Its 1901 and 1905 crops were
soil at large sacrifices in net returns
below corresponding values for loose
Tobacco. But aided by a short supply
and a steadily advancing market, III
1906 crop Appropriated loose values
much more closely.
Summing up now all these results
Of prizing: The four Societies frs
named have each now priced two crop
with a total failure in every instance
The Planters Association has prlze'
three crops. Giving it the most I'D
eral consideration, ! will call all three
Of its results partial failures only
The record then stands eight total an'
three partial failures, and nota winner
i'm the lot.
LOOSE sALEs OFFER RELIEF.
But this is not all. When at las
real danger threatened the only prac
teal relief found was through loos
sales. Though known TO be Away
readily available, never perhaps ha
there been so striking a demonsira
ton Of the comparative virtue OF loos'
Tobacco as ready seller than ihes'
two enormous sales, exceeding, say
2O,OOO,OOO pounds, have afforded
with such an object lesson beior
them it is doubtful if these TWO uls
fricts can ever again be persuaded Il
prize. and certain that they can not b
while their 1905 and 1906 crops RENAL