Richmond daily register. (Richmond, Madison County, Ky.) 1917-1978, 1921-08-20
BUCKLEY SAYS S0UTH'S
GROWERS ARE BROKE
Prominent Tobacco Man De-
scribes Conditions On Caro-
lima Markets


Madison county, and has many
friends here. is just back from the
South Carolina markets. He
writes letter to the Woodford
Sun about conditions there which
will be read with interest by To-
cal tobacco men. 1t reads as
follows:
TO the Tobacco Growers of
Woodford county:
| returned Friday from SPEND
ing nine days on the tobacco mar
kets of South Carolina, visiting
many throughout the state. |
found markets as low as four
cents per pound average. Others
few cents better, as the quality
was better.
The tobacco growers of South
Carolina last year thought the
prices they received ruinous and
believed they were broke. Last
year they raised about llO,OOO.OOO
pounds, with an average OF about
II cents per pound. 1t is esti
mated this year than they have
about 50,OOO.OOO pounds, the quail
ity OF which is about the same as
last year. and. with prices so per
cent or more lower than last year
OH a short crop, they know the,
arc broke"
NO one expects grower down
there to pay any debts. because
he knows it is impossible. | don't
recall seeing farmer visitingany
OF the stores i'll the towns | was
in.
| saw hundreds of pounds OF to
bacco that would not pay floor
expenses: in fact, there were
many with out bid and marked
passed.
One broker told me that he
was otfeerd Il whole car load OF
these passed" piles of tobacco by
a warehouscman if he (the brok-
crj if he would pay the expense
lualing same into a car. The
broker refused to go to this OK
pcnsc OF loading, and since they
could not agree, the carload oi
tobacco was dumped out OF doors
I'm South Carolina the tenants
are poorer than tenants in Ken
tuCky. In fact. they come to
town about twice a ycar--when a
circus comes to town and when
they sell their tobacco. 1t has
been the custom of the past for
the whole family to come to town
when the tobacco was sold. get
their money, and the father would
then take his fanily up town. buy
his children shoes, necessary
clothing. few school books. the
mother a gingham dress. some OF
the necessities of life and few
things for himself. This stuff
would be loaded in the same wa
gon that brought their tobacco
to town and the family would go
back home not to return for
months-usually till circus time
or another crop was ready for
market.
1t was indeed d sad sight to
see those families this year, line
up to see their tobacco crop sole
then go to the Office to receive
check SO small that in many case
it wasn't large enough to pay for
their dinners, and to see that
family get into the empty wagon
and jog home without the things
that meant SO much to them.
Those little children had been
promised since the crop was set
out that father would get them
something that was very much
wanted for doing certain things
to grow that crop. To see th>
father tying to explain to then:
why he could not carry out T.
promises, made me wish that Z,
cry grower of hurley tobacco
have been with me on this trip.
j went away weaing my Coop
crative Marketing membership!
button. A tobacco man told III,
when l got off the train i'll Sout
Carolina that | would not wear
that button long in that country
] did not catch the meaning of his
remark until started walking
across the first warehouse floor
The farmers began to gather
around and wanted to know al
about this new plan of selling to-
bacco. | tried the best | coulC
to explain it to them. but soor
found my time so much takei
that | had to remove the buttol
in order to the attend to the bust
ness that brought me to Soutl
Carolina. Unquestionably, Soutl
Carolina will have her next crol
marketed under this improves
method
Trusting that this information