The Nevada County picayune., 1920-12-23
INTERESTS AROUSED.

The Wholesale and retail business interests of Little Rock and the state aS well as the banking and agricultural interests, have become thoroughly aroused 10 the fact that we are coll fronted by most serious situation as result of the slump in the price of cotton. Millions of dollars have been lost in q few days since the price de clined from the high level folliwing the war to less than 15 cents, which now prevails Being reduced to a point below the actual cost of production, the farmer faced the difficulty of being unable to dispose of his product at q profit, and thereby being unable to- pay the merchant, and the merchant finds it difficult to meet his obligations at the bank So all classes are directly affected
 When this fact was driven home in the minds and experience of Little Rock business men, they set about to discover remedy for the ills which heset us. It was agreed that cotton has not been handled in business like way and that cooperative markee- ing through an organization of growers is one of the most feasible solutions of The problem Having arrived at this point it was soon discovered Shat the Arkansas Division of the American cotton Association has for the past year been laboring aSsiduously along these lines The business men there fore led by N. A OLeary of the OIeary Produce Company called a conference of bankers and merchants last Friday evening for discussion of the situation with the officers of the cotton association. The plans of the organization were thoroughly dis cussed and it was agreed by the forty representatives business men present that they offer the best method yet suggested for securing the desired re- suits and saving the farmers of the state from ruin. The plans were endors- ed, not only by farmers and merchants, but by $. '. West President of the Little Rock Cotton Exchange, who declared that the work of the associa- tion woQld be of inestimable benefit to all persons in any way interested in the handling of cotton.
 The meeting was preliminary to the statew de conference of merchants, ] cotton men, fnancierS. and farmers which has been called ny Governor Hrngh for Little Rock, January 5tb and Gh \ committee of three was authorized to arrange for the presen tatiou of the association plans to this conference. Officers of The association reporacd satisfactory progress in or gauization through the state, but de. cared that htey were greatly handi- capped hy lack of funds which k more serious at Il time when the far mers themselves are not in q position to finance inc work Those who spoke declared that il must be financed bt inc business interests of the state iH their own defense ] R. Alexander president of the Division, said that q fund of >2o00o k absolutely necessary a, tA's time 10 put if over The asso- c.atim k emphasizing the necessity of warchouSiug To protect cotton from
 country damage and to enable the owners to market gradually. Ii iS also coutcnIiug for the cmploymen. of eN- rcrt graders and ela~4ef~ and the een
 ceuratou of samples at some central
 point This will. in itself save millions
 of dollars to the farmers lf the state. will standardize their pSodnet amt insuSe steady masketirg instead Of
 the uncertain and unstable market
 which has prevailed for several months
 Cotton is not marketed in Arken- i SaS. said President Alexander, II t> simply thrown away. II cannot be
 marketed properly until we have an
 organization of growers such as we propose and have warehouses of ampla
 capacity for every bale raised in the
 state We need central warehouses for
 samples where buyers may secure de finite information of every bale offered
 for sale Ii is an extremely serious, in
 fact, a critical situation We are facing
 today. II is eyerybod's job and those
 who lay down and give up are not helping us solve problems We've got
 to have men and money behind this
 thing to make it go or we're all ruined
 together The time has come for action.