The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-07-18
OKLAHOMA TAXES UP COOPERATIVE PLAN
 T0 MARKET COTTON
Plans Have Already Been Perfected for Enlistment of Farmers In the
 Organization
FRED IT. GORMLEY

Montgomery, July 1I-(SpeciaD .-In- spiration gained from the recent meeting of the American Cotton Association in Montgomery has caused cotton farmers of Oklahoma to work out gigantic plan for the cooperative marketing of 90o,oo0 or more bales of cotton grown in Oklahoma during the season of 1921, ac- cording to information received by F. o. Hooton, supervisor of the division of markets and immigration of the Ala bama department of agriculture, from ! Carl Williams of Oklahoma City.
 Plans have been perfected and the campaign for the enlistment of cotton farmers in the organization has been started. The farmers are agreeing to market their cotton solely through the organization during the next seven years and the plan contemplates the organiza- ton of a separate corporation for the storage of the cotton as well as for the grading and handling of the com modity while it is being prepared for the market.
 The plan of marketing cotton through communities or small organizations has
 
 be controlled is not sufficient to attract the attention of those needing cotton. The Oklahoma state organization will hold contracts for the handling, grading, and marketing of 3OO,00O bales. certainly ] 100000 bales under the agreement, and will be able to go to the spinners of Europe and America or to any persons i in the cotton market and to call for bids rather than to stand back and re- | ceiVa Wh9fPUpr priraS ta offer for the cotton
 Farmers interested in the movement must sign an iron-clad contract to mar ket their cotton through the organiza- tion and failure to deliver all their cot ton to the organization will subject them to forfeiture of cents a pouna as liquidated damages. The association Will be given permission to form pools in which cotton of the same grade re- ceived from many sources may be thrown together and offered to buyers ] Of the grade in one shipment. In this way it is proposed to receive the bene- fits of mass selling. Each owner of cot ton in the pool would receive his pro- rata share of the purchase money after costs of handling had been paid.
 Because of the lateness of the season 1t is not proposed to offer any cotton under the agreement this year, but those signmg the contracts will be bound to deliver their cotton produced during inc season of 1921 The plan attracted great attention in the Alabama department of agriculture during the week because if was evolved as result of the Alabama meeting and because the principle may be used by the department and the Ala bama division of the American Cottor Association in the organization of sim. liar marketing corporation in this state.
 Referring to the plans in Oklahoma, MT. Williams, In his letter, said:
 This Oklahoma association is a diract loutgrowth of discussions which too,r place at the Montgomery meeting of tbe American Cotton Association. The nlan as outlined has been tried out for a features, by the farmers of California more than 5000 of whom have been iifted rom poverty to prosperity through IFS cooperative methods. These hs ssic principles have merely been adanted x the marketing of cotton. They have been adopted by Oklahomans on1v .ftaa