The Hartford herald., 1916-03-22
AN EXPLANATION OF
THE POOLING MATTER
As Recently COnsummated Be.
tween Ellis & Bro. and the
Equity Society.

In view OF the 1aCt tnat some dlS-
appointed parties are seeking to
make the impression that the recent
pool of chickens in Daviess. Mclean.
Muhlenberg, Logan, Hancock and
Ohio counties, sold to Messrs. w. T..
Ellis e. Bro, was of no benefit to the
producers who pooled their poultry,
desire to state the facts for the in
formation of the public.
As manager of the American So
ciety of Equity's poultry pool, I
called for bids to be delivered at my
Office in Owensboro. KY, on March
4, 1915, for pooled poultry, TO be
delivered at the following points,
viz: Utica, Livermore. Island, Dun
more, Lewisburg, Russellville. Gem
trail City, Greenville. Whitesville,
Owensboro, Hawesville. Lewisport,
Maceo, Beaver Dam, Centertown and
Hartford. On the date these bids
were submitted and for weeks prior
thereto the price uniformly paid for
chickens was 13 cents throughout
this territory, and other poultry was
selling in proportion. At some par
ticular points where competition was
keen and local conditions created an
q abnormal demand, the price may
have been slightly higher. but the
prevailing price was not more than
13 cents. The pooling of this poul-
try in a large area stimulated the
price, and the purchasers. Messrs
w. Il. Ellis & Bro. of Hartford KY.
paid an advance of | $40 cents per
round on hens, and other poultry in
proportion, becoming the purchasers
of the entire pool, as their bid was
decidedly the highest and best bid
offered. 1t is further true that we
obtained from Ellis & Bro. the priv
ilege of pooling the poultry up until
the date of delivery. This advance
will represent a saving of from two
to three thousand dollars to the
poultry raisers in the territory af-
fected. and it is mere matter OF
arithmetic to demonstrate the cor
rectness of these figures.
In the face of these facts, certain
poultry buyers who have tried to
discourage the formation of this
pool and to break it up after it was
formed, are trying to make the
farmers believe that the pool is an
injury, rather than a benefit, to the
poultry producers. Some of these
poultry dealers refused to bid on the
pooled poultry at all, and have now
gone into certain localities and are
Offering a slight advance on partic-
ular grades of poultry over the
prices obtained by the pool. The
real purpose of this increase by par
ties who would not bid for the poul-
try as whole is evidently an at
Tempt to disrupt the poultry pool
completely and to destroy it. but
Notwithstanding this slight advance,
Messrs. w. Il. Ellis & Bro. are pay
ing more for the poultry than the
outside buyer, when it is remember
ed that Ellis & Bro. paid a commits
sion Of Y per cent for punching
this pool.
If the farmer is to command the
best price for his products, it is alb
solutely imperative that the pooled
poultry be delivered as sold and that
the dealer who refuses to bid for
pooled poultry be taught that the
farmers will observe their collective
contracts with exactly the same good
faith they observe in making their
individual contracts. MessrS. Ellis
& Bro. who purchased this pooled
poultry, are legally bound to take
every pound of it, at every point of
delivery, at the price agreed to be-
tween themselves and the farmers
organization on March 4th. without
regard to whether the market price
increases or decreases. Should the
market decline, there is no doubt
but what they will fulfill their con-
tract, and should the market itself
or the manipulation of poultry deal
ers who seek to break up the pool,
produce a slight increase in price at
particular points, it is nevertheless
the legal duty and the moral obli-
cation of every member of the pool
to deliver his poultry to Ellis q
Bro, as contracted for. Any other
course will prove that the dealer is
bound while the producer remains
free to dump his poultry. and of
course this would absolutely destroy
the pool and the advantages which
have grown from II.
l.. n. ROBERTSON,
Mgr. A. S. of +.
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