Richmond daily register. (Richmond, Madison County, Ky.) 1917-1978, 1921-08-13
MADISON BOY WRITES
FROM THE SOUTH
And Tells of Success of Cooper
ative Marketing Among Rice
Growers and Others

the world war, and afterwards
into business in the South, writes
the Daily Register letter on the
proposed tobacco cooperative
marketing plan, which will be
read with much interest here. He
writes:
New Orleans, La, Aug. 10.
S. NJ. Sauhey,
Editor Daily Register.
Dear Mr.. Saufley =
| have been following very
closely the articles appearing in
the. Daily Register from time to
time regarding the proposed for
nation of a cooperative plan OF
marketing tobacco, and | should
be glad to seethis proposition put
over
am not entirely familiar Just
at present with the conditions IN
the tobacco market. But | am
very familiar. in fact | come i'll
contact every day with conditions
very similar, among the rice. su-
gar cane and cotton growers Of
-ouisiana and Mississippi. Dur
ing the war and for two years
following the close OF the war.
the growers mentioned above
were unable to meet the increas-
cd demand for their products and
were in position to market their
crops at almost their own figures.
and without an effort other than
delivering their goods to the near
est market When. as during
the period mentioned, there is
greater demand than supply.
there is no need of any kind Of
marketing control. For under
such conditions child could han
die the marketing end of it. But
when the tables are reversed as
happened in the fall of 1920. and
there is no demand. Then is when
a selling organization is needed
1t must stimulate the market. in
crease the demand if possible
Near at hand. if not. then 90 out
to other points and stimulate
demand. TO do all this requires
an effort and output that no one
grower coull afford But an or
eanization of many growers
could scarcely notice ii. and yet,
, they would each benefit in the
cnd.s
Coming back to the market
slump of the fall of 1920, and as
, an example. let us take the rice
growers of Western Louisiana.
They were caught with the lare-
est crop in history on hand and
no market However. they were
! able to form The Rice Growers
! Association of Louisiana and
; by cooperative effort have NOV
: ed almost the entire surplus car
ried over from last season. and by
i the time the new crop is harvest
ed will have done so
| Practically all the sugar cane
growers were already organized
SO they. too. were able to move
their crops without Il ruinous loss.
The cotton farmers had no Or
eanization of any kind have been
/ unable to form one. and as Il con-
sequence they have most of their
1920 crop on hand and new crop
ircady to harvest in thirty to sixty
days. This will give them two
crops on hand with no adequate
means of disposing of it and with
! but very little hope of a better
price for the two crops than the
one should have brought if pro-
perly handled. Consequently
there is very little hope for any
better business in the cotton belt
! for the year Of 1920. And as [
have heard a great many good
business men express themselves,
It's all for the lack OF an organ
ization.'
Among the organizations that
have helped carry this territory
Through the present, depression.
are the following, composed of
and operated by the producers
represented
The Strawberry Growers As
sociation. <
The Truck Growers Associa-
ton of Louisiana.
The Truck Growers " Associa-
ton Of Mississippi.
The Dairy Association.
/ The Tomato Growers Associa-
ton.
| In every instance the territory
/ served by these organizations. IS
lin a good financial condition and
business is fast approaelii1ak1ny6
nalcy. as againStui1f
site Which,