The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1921-06-15
STAPLE COTTON
GROWERS MEET
AND ORGANIZE
HON. OSCAR F. BLEDS0E, JR..
WAS CHOSEN AS HEAD
OF THE CO-0PERA-
TIVE AGENCY.

ing of 40 or so planters and business
men in Hotel Gayoso and the organ
ization is now ready to do business
as cooperative selling agency,
handling long staple cotton eXclus-
lively,
Oscar F, Bledsoe, Jr., Of Green
wood Miss, was elected president Of
the organization without contest.
The election of two vice presidents, a
secretary and treasurer was post
poned until the next meeting of the
board of directors, which will be held
in Memphis on June 20,
The association is organized and
chartered under Tennessee laws, al
though its membership is made up en-
tirely of Mississippi Delta planters,
growers Of the greater part Of all the
long staple cotton produced in the
United States. Organization was per-
fected under the act of the Legisla-
ture of 1917, authorizing the forming
of cooperative associations for mar
keting purposes. The act was in
tended primarily to authorize the or
ganization of a selling association
among the dairymen of the state, but
was found broad enough to permit
the organization of a selling agency
| for cotton.
Although its object is to finance
| and sell the enormous amount of sta
pie cotton produced in the Mississippi
Delta, the organization has no capi-
! tai stock. Financial arrangements
will be made through banks, the pa
per used by the agency being secured
by the cotton held in pools in its
name and pledged by the members of
the association. The association will
be operated under the cooperative
system promulgated by Aaron Sapiro
of California.
Mr.. Bledsoe said yesterday that the
present membership of the ossocia-
ton represents production Of more
than 100000 bales Of staple cotton
annually, and it is hoped to increase
the membership until the organiza-
ton will control the marketing Of
more than 100000 bales by the time
the present crop is harvested. Mem
bers of the association have signed
five year contracts, agreeing to sell
their entire product for the next five
years through the organization. This
gives a pool of fully 100000 bales
Of high grade staple cotton during
the next five years and the planters
are confident that this fact will have
considerable influence upon the mar
I ket in the future.
Control Half of Staple Crop.
Mr.. Bledsoe says that the associa-
ton will control more than one-half
of all the staple cotton produced in
the United States this year, and even
larger percentage is expected to be
pledged in 1922 and the years follow
ing,
The directorate Of the organization
is composed Of some of the most sub
stantial cotton men in the south.
Members Of the board were selected
by primary ballot and by districts.
The delta cotton section has been
divided into six districts, and three
I directors are elected from each, MAX
ing II to be elected by ballot Of the
membership. The president is chair
man of the board, and the bankers
I organizations Of the territory affect
ed will select three members as rep
resentatives Of the public. This
gives the association a board Of di-
rectors consisting of Il members.
Formal election of the directors was
held yesterday, but they had already
been selected by primary ballot in
Mississippi. In this particular the
/ meeting here was similar to an cleo
toral college, since delegates from
each Of the six districts we're in
structed how to vote for directors.
The board is composed of the fol-
lowing: Oscar F, Bledsoe, Jr.,
Greenwood, chairman; Leroy Percy,
I Greenville; All II. Stone, Dunleath;
ALEX Scott, Rosedale; Oscar John
ston, Garksdale; J. II .Sherard,
| Sherard; M. P. Sturdivant, Glendora;
Ben F. Saunders, Swan Lake; viii
Dockery, Dockery; C. c. Moore, ltta
I Bena; ]. NJ. Yeager, Drew; D. L.
Bingham, Indianola; A. M. Pepper,
Lexington; r. L. Pillow, Greenwood;
&c. G. Council, Greenville; l.. II.
! Gaines, Boyle; L. G. Dean, Shaw; }.
| G. McGehee, Gunnison; F. NJ Rob-
ertshaw, Greenville; E. P. Peacock,
Clarksdale, and T. R. Henderson,
Greenwood.
The three last named directors re-
present the public and are named by
the bankers organization in the ter