St. Landry clarion. (Opelousas, La.) 1890-1921, 1911-04-15
IMPORTANT TO The RICE FAR
MERS OF ST. LANDRY PARISH
VALUE OF ORGANIZATION

The Southern Rice Growers Association is a splendid example
the rice market in demoaized condition, and with warehouses
with debts, and the price Of rice at which 1T could be sold, below
the cost of production the Southern Rice Growers Association TOOK
Further, it did dispose of enormous quantities of rice, during
6 them II Of ia Gs yas at far ah. price and has caused is n tne e fea1 be f6oe
the new crop will be harvested, the rough Japan rice has all been
o aldp fa less 81 than AND thirty ffs H9 ds5s. 4 Is z AR Rfr s S1f Z m e sa a.S1PSsI
IL { oRGAN 4 HpSA AS # f IS n MOS MOST H GoUNT1Es 81 RICE Would
NOT TODAY BE 4 DRAG ii UPON THE MARKET; and nothing
less than organized.effort on the part Of the Association could
The Association has just completed a transaction whereby all
ing to about 100000 barreIes has been sold at the regular price Of
the Association. nab
this s sssss tssn. e " Si Ills s s. Bsz XII H6 SzE5zsf BE s : 4 Ez5S$z S Fl
GoNGING 70 THE AssoCTAs1oN? The Association did more
They gave the chance to a great many farmers that were not
the first place, the rice could not have been sold in one lot because
there rs eva was, op prior + to d the organization "a "a T q the ms Assoe aM7 h. T p 2 aendie
explained at the mass-meeting to held in Opelousas on April 2eth,
have been graded and price fixed for each lot; that alone would
have made ( the d sale impossible sliJ the e grades e Of t rice ice whieh have have b been
accepted by almost every country mill Association has made and
ard grades in the future, not only in Texas, but in all parts of the
rice belt. This alone was one Of the many reasons ease why a sale Of
rice farmers and he should lose no opportunity nor time in becoming
Without the Organization and cooperation Of the growers, no
one could control 250, 900 bags of rice without having first brought
vidual would have been able to buy that andthus corner the market
o. rough japan spd tb without IN meg nffgr fpe &c lat ago IN IT. t 6us, r Dy sf fp ee
sible t. do q big thing like this and at the sumo time remove the
no disposition to speculate but what they have done is first to es-
tabish standard grades Of rice which have been accepted as the he
reason Of its very nature it cannot speculate; hence it must operate
for the good of all concerned in the maintenance OF the rice
If the Association, knowing it controlled all Of the rough rice
would have wiped itself out Of existence; but as the onequarter|
Imn1o2a pags were ie sis soa az 5he reg andI p WeS to 2 pred IL ri IL t n 9
that Honduras rice will advance IN the demand, and the Assoclaee
Honduras just as it did the Japan, but it can only do so by the
united efforts Of the growers; While it is very .ture that there e is is
ST. Landry Parish, does it look right that the farmers of this par.
il sa9t should erics sta bS b fgs sP honest DC Po tndesv except e E there reap Pei en- Gsse of the he
surrounding counties? Or will the unite with the balance of the
unit and make a success of this organization? We feel sure that
a a6fsF e szef J dsi4 e him. in ' hs p Rif'I not n hesitate t e' one n moment n n sis signing min
these contracts and permitting an office to be opened up IN our
Surely we need go no further to persuade every rice grower \
St Landry Parish that the Association aafo is a good q IL thing agco, LGGkbag
since the LIST Of January; and looking forward he can see a clean
and disposed to do the right thing. The whole outlook for rice in
this section and the other rice sections of the rice belt for the
than il has ever been for the the past two years. It is is EN- fneo99r ssgdFgg
ton it IS very unlikely that they will ever again get the very high
prices that they obtained in some instances in the past; as we BEL
r rsss IS s1 fhere i s in n 81 sssf but Ut on mp the other other hand al = there viii never Be
have always been the case, the Association will see that they will
always have a steady market in rice growing and we can look
ahead and see ope eiou; is + again Unto. t. the front as one Of the greatest
The Association will spend considerable time and money in in
creasing the consumption of rice and they will see that 1t increases
steadily, and will take care of the possible increase in production
and we feel safe in saying that within two years OF working OF the
Association we will grow and market at a handsome profit eigf !
and even ten millions of bags or rice instead of the six millions
which will mean every acre Of land adapted to the culture OF rice
ii this parish being planted; and gradually the condition will bel
steadied and become stable 50 that those who raise rice will know
axactly what they will get and what they will have to pay Tor
it-not two and three pounds for a quarter, but five and SIX
pounds; even at this price the middle man can always have q fair
margin of profit; and the panics in the future will be avoided as
there is no use in talking when the farmers. lose confidence and
they sell rice at panic prices, which spells ruination to them, the
mills also lose confidence, which in turn is conveyed to the broker,
jobber and wholesaler. The retailer cares not what he pays for it.
as he never changes the retail price of il.
Furthermore, extraordinary prices for the rough rice Will pc
avoided just as much as low prices; thus the consuming portion OF
the public viii gain confidence in rice and the producing portion
will be encouraged and will know the exact condition OF affairs,
and what to expect.
Meanwhile the Association will be enabled to develop the 9TH
er phases of the situation and its purposes and will encourage the
consumption and everything even up to the distribution OF the rice
and the price BY taking the surplus from one part OF the country
and sending it to other portions, where there is a scarcity. Coax
and help, regulate freight charges, and eliminate the factors which
are Injurious to the rice industry, and eventually will bring It to a
higher plane and will make it one of the greatest industries IN the
south.
Apparently the Rice Association will have done its work when