Hopkinsville Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1889-1918, 1915-10-02

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on prices every season, they know
BY sad experience what the buying in
terests win do when they are unpfo-
tected), or unite solidly In making a
compact organization that will afford
protection for all time, and which It
would be impossible for the buying
interests to disturb.
II might not seem Inappropriate to
recount few facts which are as
milestones along the Associations
journey OF life. Immediately proceed
ing the existence of the Association
the buying interests were maintain
ing an average OF probably four cents
per pound in their purchases OF to-
bacco. The Association succeeded in
advancing this average to approx
mately nine cents per pound. II has
supervised the preparation. sale and
settlement for something near sixty
million dollars worth of tobacco in
eleven years Of its operation. On a
basis OF doubling the price. the net
increase In the circulation Of money
and to the credit OF Association tobac-
CO growers over prices paid before
there was an Association. or on a
four-cent average. would be thirty
millions OF dollars. But on basis of
the Association having equally ad-
vanced the price for the man on the
outside, which fact Is scarcely deni-
able, because the advance In prices
was apparent and II the outside man
had not believed he was getting APP
proximately the same prices the in
side man was getting. all would have
flocked to the Association the next
season. the sixty millions of sales
holdings. or about one-third OF IT,. an
nual production OF tobacco in the
Dark Tobacco District. It would be
fair to say that the outsider who pro-
duced two-thirds of the tobacco. had
benefited to the extent of sixty mil
lions over the four-cent average, and
that the aggregate increase in the
value OF the crop to growers inside
and outside the organization in eleven
years is approximately ninety million
dollars.
The greatest difficulty experienced
Is in making growers believe the As.
sociation will discontinue business I'M
less better support Is Immediately
pledged. but such is fact neverthe-
less. In past seasons. at the urgent
solicitation OF growers, upon what
seemed reasonable assurance that .
large amount OF additional tobacco
would be pledged. the books have
been reopened for membership. But
such course only resulted In aiding
the fellow outside TO obtain q better
price. 1t never appreciably Increased
the amount OF tobacco pledged. ana
was generally considered q deception.
But even II Il had been frank and con-
sistent, the conditions then and now
are entirely different Then we had
large following, and notwithstanding
1t was not such a per cent OF the an
nual production Of tobacco as the AS
ISOLATION desired to control In order
to accomplish the best results, II was
nevertheless q benefit to those who
entrusted the sale OF their tobacco to
It. as evidenced by better price than
It would have been possible for them
to have obtained. But on October 1.
1914, and on account of the European
war demoralizing market conditions.
all members were released and so far
as the 1915 crop was concerned. it was
announced il we were to have an or
ganization, 1t would be built from the
beginning. Hence there was no nucleus
from which to draw, and the present
effort is not simply an annual addition
to an already large membership.
We learn there are those who are
saying there is no danger OF the AS
ISOLATION retiring from business. In
this connection It is my duty to say
there is not the least probability OF
securing the services of the men who
have made a success of the enterprise
for eleven years to attempt what they
believe would result In disaster, even
though there might be a clamor for
the Association to continue. Il would
be no kindness to attempt to conduct
an Association which had for a pur-
pose successful sales unless II had
the requisite strength. Therefore, ft
Is positively certein that one thing
only win preserve the Association,
which Is to have q sufficiency OF to-
bacco pledged. and those who delay
signing on the presumption that 1t will
survive somehow. reckon without
their host. The books will positively
not be reopened after they are for
maiiy closed, and II by any chance
there is an Association after the books
close. growers will make II. and ten
der II to the management.
The United States government. the
several States and every public man