Woodruff County news., 1908-09-24
NEWS OF - ARKANSAS


To Teach Plan of Cotton Financing. Money has been appropriated by the Arkansas Farmers Union to push the movement to hold cotton in Ar kansas for the minimum price fixed by the union, according to an an nouncement made Thursday by R. H. McCulloch of Beebe, chairman of the executive committee of the Arkansas Farmers Union and secretary of the national organization of the union
 MT McCulloch stated that at the meeting of the executive committee of the Arkansas union, held Wednes- ! day at Conway, that committee con ferred with the Cotton Bureau of the Arkansas union in regard to the move ment to hold cotton in this state, and that the result of the conference was ] the appropriation of money to be used by the bureau.
 "The money appropriated will be used by the bureau in going out over the state and advising the farmers how to handle their cotton,' explained MT.
 
 to finance distressed cotton"
 The minimum price set by the union for cotton has never been officially announced The price was fixed at the annual meeting of the national or ganization recently at Fort Worth, Tex, but was kept a secret. It has been rumored that the price is Il tI,,o t,,N,, has ever been secured to that effect.
 The union held it's cotton for minimum price of 15 cents last year. Instead of advancing, however, the price of cotton went down, never reaching 15 cents. There was con siderable distress among union men after the cotton had been held for | months, as many of them, being un- l able to sell their cotton, needed money badly The financing of dis | tressed" cotton was then started. Banking institutions advanced about $40 per bale. The scheme was not very well understood, however, in many districts, and the movement, it is reported, was not entirely satis- factory to leaders in the movement. As the result, it is understood, the leaders intend to explain the idea to the members
 Concerning the appropriation of money by the executive committee, Ben L. Griffin of Conway former state secretary of the union, Thursday night said:
 The state executive committee of the Arkansas Farmers Union, in exec utive session at Conway, had under consideration some very important business matters pertaining to the business future of the union in Ar kansas, and especially so with the cotton question. The committee ap- propriated $250 to the Farmers Un- ion Warehouse Association to be used in an educational campaign acquaint- ing and drilling our various union warehouses in connection with what is expected of them in support of the cotton bureau.
 "A cotton bureau was established at the last state meeting, out of which has grown the Farmers Union Ware house Association. It is the business of this association to systematiZe in one chain of direct business operation with the Memphis Farmers Union Cotton Company The Memphis Farmers Union Warehouse Company is supported by the Farmers Union cotton committee and the warehouse association. The S250 referred to is to assist in perfecting business ar rangement whereby the cotton com. mittec may render direct assistance to all the members of the Farmers Union throughout the state; and with this money the warehouse association will send it's workers to acquaint the warehouse management in each dis trict with the arrangements under way"