The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1921-11-21
COOPERATIVE MARKETING

vile, that Is for certain grades OF
cotton. For other grades a great
many people have believed, and now
believe, that there is not such al
good market. A few years ago a mer-
chant told the editor of the Press
and Banner that he bought a few
bales of cotton, of-lowt grades, on
the streets of .Abbeville, without
knowing much of the market, paying
a better price than the. local buyers
were paying; that he shipped the cot
ton to Norfolk. TO- a broker and made
something more than, $500 per
bale. ........ ..,e-->.,.->---,,.., -. :.
Everybody knows that such mar
ket for any product spells robbery
as against thes farmers Likely this
was an extreme case, but a great deal
Of money has been made in Able
vile by, cotton buyers, especially i'm
low grades of cotton. Nobody, of
course, ;blames a cotton buyer for
making money, so long as he pursues
legitimate methods. If he has no COM
petition, he, like every buyer of 9TH
er products, buys as low as he can
and sells as high as he can. We are
not talking now for the purpose Of
making case against the cotton
buyer, but we are writing to the far
laers of Abbevilie county in an effort
to have them help themselves. <:
And way is offered. Last Friday
evening, Mr.. Watkins, Of Clemson
College, presented the matter Of a
cooperative cotton association to
few business men of this city: In
the next few weeks the. matter will
he presented to the people of the
county generally. The matter is 60
ing to be discussed, and it ought to
$be discussed. Some will favor, the
scheme and others will find fault with
1T. There will be grounds for objec-
7tion to the scheme, of course, but it
must be considered with an open
mind. Some such scheme must be
adopted by the farmers as. we. have
said. Cooperative selling associations
have bsen the making of the produc-
jers of every other crop, where the
plan has been adopted, and the plan
will help the farmers, if it is good
plan. The thing we must consider is
whether the plan now outlined is a
good plan. Has it more merit than
dement's? Do the advantages which
will flow from it, in the judgment of
line farmers, outweigh the apparent
disadvantages? Will the farmers re-
ceive value received, and something
more for the giving up of the con-
troll of their own products?
1t is no. our purpose in this issue
to discuss the merits of the scheme
as outlined by Mr.. Watkins. We
merely say in advance that a proper
cooperative selling association is
badly needed by the farmers, especi-
ally by those farmers who sell their
cotton where there is local demand
for only certain grades of cotton
That is demonstrated fact. We
should examine the scheme which is
outlined for us, and We expect in
future issues to discuss the plan out
lined by Mr.. Watkins. Those people
who have heard the speakers over the
county discuss the matter, and those
who shall hear them, perhaps have
formed an opinion already. But it
will bear more discussion and great
deal more thoughtful consideration.
We urge now that the farmers, the
cotton producers of Abbeville Coun-
ty, inform themselves as to the plan
outlined, so that we may in the near
future reach some conclusion as to
the wisdom of adopting it.