The Rice belt journal. (Welsh, Calcasieu Parish, La.) 1900-19??, 1920-08-21
THREE CLASSES FARMERS
OUT Of ASSOCIATION
Average Farmer Gives all Of His Time
to Producing the Crop, Says
Mr.. Milliken.
Crowley, La, Aug. 20, 1920,

Crowley, La, Aug. ~, 1920.
Frank Milliken, manager, of the
Crowley Office of the Southern Rice
Growers Association, has summed up
the conditions confronting the rice
farmer in a letter addressed to them
which is published herewith:
Mister Rice Farmer:-What are you
doing to establish a price on your crop
for this year? If you ever needed CO.
operation, you need it this year, and
by cooperation you will be able to
market all the rice you put into bags
at price you are entitled to receive
The mills have strong organization
and that is as 1t should be. They have
everal conditions to confront, that can
only be handled by being organized
and getting together and consulting
each other. They have adopted meth
DDS for selling the clean, also for pay
ment for same, and the many things
that could only be accomplished by
unity.
The average farmer gives just about
all of his time to planning and pro.
ducing a crop When he has done that
he gives little thought to the market
ing of it. He has worked hard all the
year producing the crop, and then he
takes just what the buyer wants to
give, That this is especially true of
majority of rice farmers, for they are
not posted on the market and have to
take the line of "bull' given out by tho
buyer. Seyenty-fve per cent Of the
rice farmers are not we'll enough post
ed to contradict any statement made
by the buyer. If he tries to market the
crop by himself he has to take the
prevailing price offered by the pur-
chaser, as he does not know any bet
ter
You can readily see that the raising
of the crop Is only about half of the
business of growing rice. You should
have some place to come for informa
ton. The place should be your organ
ization The Southern Rice Growers
Association is simply group of rice
farmers joined together for the pur
pose of determining what your crop
should bring. Every director is rice
farmer and does not draw cent of
pay for his services. Someone has
broke into print about the salaries of
the men working for the association.
There is not man on the pay roll of
the Southern Rice Growers Associa-
ton that some mill would not gladly
pay the same money for his services
and several of them could demand
more salary if they wanted to quit us
| admit the men hired by the Associa
Ition are only human beings and all of
these will some time in life make Q
mistake. You know the only man that
does not make a mistake is the man
who does nothing. Our men are not
that kind-they work-hence some
man will use poor judgment some
time. You know 1t is human nature
to magnify the error of a very good
man and say nothing about the many
good deeds performed by the same
man.
Now it appears as though there are
three classes of rice farmers who stay
out of the association, or talk about
why some farmer should not join and
put his shoulder to the wehel anG
make easy sailing for the rice inter
: ests. One is the man with a grudge
lone is the piker, and the other is the
pirate. Some grader may have made
delivery of certain mans crop ant
found stuff in the lot the farmer neve
knew he had, and then that farme
says the Association stuck him ant
he sees no good in the same. Now i
I is not the object of the Association t.
3 put anything over the mills and IL thu
, grader finds some rice below the sam
l pie on which the lot was sold HI
] should not, and does not, make, tina
2 mill take something it had not bought
e The Association grades lots of rio,
: where the mill has no grader. II b.
put 1t over the mill on one small 10
J. he would lose his usefulness. He i
d there to see that you do get for you
c rice what it sold for, see that ever,
a sack goes into its proper grade.
0 Now the next man is the one VIII
S has seen what the Southern Ric
! Growers Association has been dom
n for the industry for the past ten year
and then says, eyes the Association
is a good thing, but can sell my owl
6 rice. see no need of giving a com
e mission. Now that man is a fire.
y rider. He wants his neighbor to kee
t the organization going and he nc
II contribute anything for it's supper
p The rice game in the United State
It Rice Growers Association Is bigge
J. thing than just selling organizatoI
s The rec game in the United State
D, has grown to such proportions ths
e some one must look after the industr!
Some one must look after the market
IS after the amount of acres planted, an
T. some one to watch the growing crop
e and the yields. Now who can do thi
Re better than the farmer, himself?
II The last man referred to among tn
y three is the worst of all. The mai
!; no mater what his business, that a.
vises the farmer not to join the A
1t ISOLATION has an ak to grind, and M
" Farmer, he wants you to turn Il
Or grind stone for him. don't care
Of he is mill man, buyer, or war
d. house man, he has purpose In kee
rs ing. you out of the organization TIL
N August 81, 1920. The motion W,