The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1919-07-26
Chamber of Commerce
Notes
Secretary Reardon Discusses
Marketing Association

Selling of cotton. cotton seed, corn.
oats, peas, hogs. beef cattle, and 9th
er farm products of surplus nature
under the cooperative selling plan is
again being asiGated in sumter. The
success of the 0rangehurg Farm Pro
ducts Marketing Association. par
ticaiarly with regard 10 the selling Of
cotton under the pooling plan has
aroused a number OF Sumter county :
bankers, farmers. and merchants 10
s the importance OF trying at least 10
make the Farmers Marketing Asso
ciation OF Sumter county which was
organized in 1918. but never mater
ialized a real live business propcsi-
ton. Getting the right man to n1an-
age such an association has been. ana
is stin the trouble. but efforts are be-
ing made along this particular line OF
the proposed cooperative selling plan.
The above association was organ
lied in the spring Of 1918 and had
about thirty-five hundred dollars ca3-
sfa! stock subscribed. An effort TO
have thirty peg cent CT the stock paid
in resulted il SIX hundred and niaety
dollars being pa5d up which has been
iii q local bank ever since. About
twenty three hundred dollars. more
would be sufficient, if the right man
ager is available. to start the business.
Frequent appeals. by letter and
through newspaper publicity IN 1918
failed to secure sufficient funds to
warrant a beginning. The fact that
the association had 10 one. expert
-enced in the handling OF farm pre-
ducts for intelligent and profitable
marketing, and preparation OF same
for market, or to organize the farm
ers, and to educate q sufficient num-
Der of the farmers in cooperative
marketing to make 4 beginning had
more to do with the failure Of the
association than the scarcity Of mon
ey if the truth be told.
There are three things necessary to
the success of such plan:
First: Sufficient farm produce to
create a. market There is always
great demand for farm products OF
all kinds. We now have sufficient pro
ducts to make 1t Interesting, financial
", for the risht manager.
farm products for marketing in NOR
.chantable, attractive, and marketable
shape. Education of the farmers
along the lines OF cooperative mar
keting.
Third: The business manager c..
salesman who knows whore TO find the
markets and how TO SCH the farm
products offered by the farmers. a
man who can tell farmers how 70
prepare their produces for intelligent
and business-like marketing without
waste or deductions due to unhusi-
ness-like preparation.
That the ti,ae is now ripe for such
a cooperative plan is not donDted.
That the selling of cotton alone un-i
der such plan would within itself
pay the expenses of a first class man
ager and his necessary office force pro-
yided that the cotton graders ncad
quarters be utilized as 2 branch Of the
cooperative selling association. see!ns
to be generally believed by those who
have Investigated tne proposition
Revenues from selling cotton woald
make possible the cooperative :se.llit;%
of all other surplus products by TIE
same manager and business zorce IL
the Office.
The farmers conld have their cot
ton sampled. graded stap:ed. c"l.d12,
recorded and offered for sale At the
same place. and if hundred CT one
thousand bales Of cotton were offered
for sale by An experienced cotton sell
er under the pooling or cooperative
plan, the farmers would be offering
their cotton in 9 much more busi-
ness-like, intelligent. and profitable
manner than by running the nzar-
ket'' as they DO now.
Each cotton seller now has the op-
portunity. without cost. Of finding
out what his cotton grades. and also
b