The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1921-05-20
GAIN ADVANTAGES
BY POOLING CROP
Grower Gets Interest in Larger Lots
-Middlemen Kept Out.


crop of cotton under the cooperative
marketing plan means swapping the
specific bales grown by him for pro-
portional interests in much larger
lots of cotton. The number Of lots
in which he owns an interest will be
determined by the number of differ
ent kinds or grades Of cotton pro-
duced by him. For example, if the
growers belonging to the associa-
ton produce 1000 bales of good
middling and one of the members,
John Doe produces 100 bales of that
10000, then John Doe in pooling
trades in his hundred bales and re-
ceives a 1 per cent interest in the
entire pool of 10000 bales. The
pools are made up Of cotton belong
ing only to growers who are men,
bers of the association. Pooling
gives each grower certain advan-
tages which are explained below.
Advantages Of Pooling
Cd Pooling gives the grower the
advantage of accurate grading.
(2) Pooling gives the grower the
advantage to be gained from selling
cotton in large, even running lots.
The work of assembling cotton in
such lots is now done by middlemen
but the association would do it
through pooling at cost, thus cutting
out one or two middlemen.
(3) Pooling gives the grower the
average price received for cotton,
less costs of operating the associa-
toin. This may be regarded by some
as an advantage and by others as a
disadvantage, depending on whether
the particular grower fears that he
will sell his own cotton on the low
est market of the year or is confin-
dent that he will be able to pick the
time of highest prices. 1t must be
generally conceded, however, that
growers can not determine before
hand the best time to sell, and that
by averaging the price a certain
amount of gambling is taken out of
the selling operation.
(4) Pooling makes it possible for
growers to market their cotton in
an orderly way over a longer period
of time and thus saves the losses in
CURED in dumping most Of the crop
in four months.
(5) Pooling enables the growers
to eliminate competition among
themselves in the selling of the
crop. This means that competition
will be limited to the economical
production of the crop and this is
the only fair field for competition
among growers. Without pooling,
some growers, because of their in
dividual circumstances, will always
sell cotton for less than it has cost
them to produce it. This is manifest
ly unfair to the industry as whole
and growers have known this for
many years.
Length Of Pooling Period
If crop is a non-per1shable, is
produced only once year and is in
fairly regular demand over period
of IL months the fair pooling period
would be one entire season. Of
course in the case of crops, such as
truck, the value of which is fixed
partly by their earliness, the pool
ing period should be made shorter
as one day being used in some cases.
The fairet pooling period for cotton
would be one year. Any shorter
period would leave the field open for
speculation, which in the long run
does not benefit the grower.
When pooled cotton is put on the
market, it is sold with the single
idea of beneftting the pool as a
whole, and no advantage can be
granted to one grower over another
in the same pool. All pay a pro rate
share of the necessary expenses and
all receive the same net price per
pound for cotton in the same pool
The fact that a grower may happen
to beone of the directors would not
give him any advantages whic!
yronld not annlu tn evaru othe,