Hopkinsville Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1889-1918, 1916-11-18
TOBACCO GROWERS
A Statement From F. G..
Ewing, General Man.
ager, With Reference
to the Planters Pro-
tective Association.
"Glenraven."


: sociation for the seasons of 1916-1917.
! 1918. which specified a minimum of
$4,000 acres. are hereby released from
: obligation Hereunder. Said contracts
are null and void from this date. Such
as have not been forwarded to the
General Secretary should be destroyed
| by District Chairmen. Those at head.
quarters will be destroyed there forth.
with
Thus an institution which was ere
ated to perform the function of an In.
surance company. advancing and sus
tanning reasonable prices for tobacco
and which has for a number of years
contributed materially to the prosper.
ity Of the dark tobacco district of
Kentucky and Tennessee, passes from
the scene.
II is not improbable that tobacco
which has been pledged as above
might have been sold through the as.
sociation sales rooms at a better aver.
age price than can be obtained other.
wise. But representations have been
made by certain buying, and loose
| floor interests. and have been tenta.
lively accepted as reliable by the mass
OF growers in their individual capac.
ity, to the effect that there will be
spirited demand for tobacco at salts.
factory prices this season, |
If such representations prove de.
pendable, cooperative sales agency
would be unnecessary. But in view
OF the past and especially as a large
number of loyal members are affected
perhaps a statement as to the reasons
Tor disoontinuance of &C operative
! sales Is due.
! The following are considerations:
ial Having accomplished satisfac.
torily the purpose for which the asso.
| citation was created.
! OBJ Fulfilling its own obligations
meanwhile. moral physical, f'nsncial,
winning the respect Of the commercial
world and tobacco buyers
tc) Having resources sufficient to
re-establish and continue cooperative
sales.
td) A discontinuance Of sales is,
despite the protest of many substan. !
tial growers and citizens.
See Auditors reports herewith Of
the aggregate of business and prices .
obtained year by year.
While the estimate of four cents '
average throughout the dark tobacco q
ado1ted as reliable. and conservative, ~
because a number Of prominent buy u
ers say that it was above their aver. 10
age for 1908.
Association sales since have been as
follows: &c
1904. 24,7O7 hogsheads, $6.G7 aver. Il
age price. ST
1905. S4,62S hogsheads, s7.12 aver. in
age price. m
1900. 1908 hogsheads, 1854 aver ri
age price. tv
1907. 6O,417 hogsheads. 1854 aver.
age price. til
1908. $3.50 hogsheads, $7O4 aver. he
age price. be
1909 2i,319 hogsheads, $1,000 aver. in
age price. of
1910. 55,252 hogsheads, 1915 aver. "
age price. II
1911, 29,337 hogsheads, $94S aver. at
age price. pc
1912. S6,3S1 hogsheads, sS.41 aver, an
age price. pc
1913. 2S,3S1 hogsheads, 1896 aver. or
age price. er
OF the 1913 crop, which is the last b
sold formally through association et
sales rooms, Notwithstanding assist. OF
ance was rendered growers. informal. al
ly- NJ
$500 hogsheads sold above 12c. eN
$500 hogsheads sold from loo to 12c. WI
$500 hogsheads sold from Sc to 1Oc. bt
300 hogsheads sold below &C. or
Various reasons have been assigned is
Tor an alleged failure of the associa. w
ton to maintain its one time strength Ia
and prestige, for instance: tn
(a) That growers, as a class, fail TO
to sustain the theory and principle Of 10
cooperative sales. or
OBJ That in this progressive age. 81
ten years is the limit Of probability for tn
an organization of farmers to survive oil
without change of purpose, or meth. in
DDS of accomplishing such purpose. n
(c) That growers lost confidence as
In the stability of the association the pl
year of the so-called regarding (1907. NJ
cd That growers had become so in
they have forgotten their pl
distress of ten or a dozen years ago, d;
and find system and discipline oppres- W
sive. Ell
(e) That save for an element ci
in part perhaps OF admir-
able citizens who counsel in their own 81
bosoms participating little in public &c
affairs, of highly prejudiced, irritable III
men and of negative men, large ma to
iority OF growers who have not sus- m
tained the organization, desire its ex. st
Silence, but desire that others sustain TT
I, thus enabling them to avoid COM in
missions, storage charges deprecia- re
ion in weight while awaiting sales, tn
stc,. etc. li'
Let us say that criticism OF growers II
or short-sighted disloyalty in failing
o sustain the association and criticism Il,
IF the management for depreciation an
If early standards of efficiency in OF
handling this immense business is sa
'venly divided, Notwithstanding the sh
ormer occasioned the latter. an
II there must be something for the tn
'wiseacres" to chew, other than tobac. In