The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1921-08-01
WORLDS MOST POWERFUL
 FARMERS COOPERATIVE ASSN FORMED BY COTTON GROWERS

Sapiro's plan was taken up, with the l result that, in addition to Oklaho- ma, 10000 Texas growers, with 70O,- 900 bales; Mississippi growers, with PIG, 900 males, and thousands of far mers in other states organized state associations and have agreed to fed crate and sell their product through a national agency called the Amer ican Cotton Growers Exchange. Un der present plans, when all the states are organized, a minimum of 2,500,0 900 bales of cotton, worth | $25O, 100000, or 20 per cent. of the keted through the new exchange; and present indications are that these figures will be greatly exceeded. All
 of these associations are co-opera- tive, non-profit organizations. with
 the farmer himself the sole bene- fciary.~
 Exchange to Act As Selling Agent The American Cotton Growers Ex- change, the national selling agency, was planned at a recent meeting in Oklahoma City called by MT Will Hams, who was later selected chair
 man of a national committee to su- pervice its organization and to con- trOl the marketing activities of all
 the member state associations This proposed coordination for market ing of the country's greatest agricul-
 tural product under one head puts the cotton growers and MT. Williams
 in a unique relation to the public. Just how will the public be af- fected by this new organization ?''
 was the question asked of the na- tional chairman.
 These organizations are not price fixing bodies" said MT. Williams.
 They can have no control over sup ply and demand, except as they may, by the development of new uses for cotton, increase demand They are
 deliberate attempts to improve the agricultural and business conditions of the South by the elimination of waste, country damage and 1nef- fciency in the mark eting of cotton, and by dealing in wholesale quanti- ties which will permit and purchaser to supply his complete annual re- quirements from single source. They will apply city business meth
 ,ods to the handling and marketing of cotton as a commodity and will sell on the highest available market which is open to them and which the normal operation of supply and de- | mand will justify. Represents abives
 of the consuming public sit on the board of directors of the state cot ton associations in order that the public may be fully informed as to their operations and purposes. Rep resentatives of the Federal govern ment will be invited to sit on the board of the National Exchange. For many years cotton farmers have felt that they were the innocent victims of various marketing evils. In other sections of the United States this feeling has also prevailed among farmers, and it has frequently led to attempts to solve these business evils by political means. This meant class legislation which, while intended to improve the condition of specific groups, was at the same time harm ful to other classes of citizens. The cooperative cotton marketing move ment has nothing to do with politics. It is an attempt to solve economic methods political ones- It has no quarrel with any legitimate cotton business, and its operations need not affect the price which the consumer will finally pay for cotton goods.
 Standardization By Naturalization Is Aim
 +@The associations are officered by technical cotton men who know ev- cry phase of the business They are well financed. and their usefulness is | conceded by the great cotton firms 1 who now handle the crop after it has passed out of the country districts and into concentration points
 The fundamental thing behind | these state organizations and their
 can Cotton Growers. Exchange, is | that the application of busine esz5 | methods by farmers to the marketing | of the Souths chief crop will inn | Every addition to the farmers income l through efficient marketing methods means additional trade in the stores,
 increased deposits in the banks and 1 -essened risk by city business men in | dealing with country customers. The standard of living in the aS- 1 ricultura1 South is much below | that of other agricultural sections of | America as the standard of these | other agricultural sections is below i that of the well-to-do- city family | These associations will aid in correct ng that evil without putting a core bonding burden on any other class | f men. It is for this reasonl that | hey have received the unanimous approval of the business interests of he South and have developed so tre- | nendous a growth in so short a inle.'
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