The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1921-11-05
Cooperative
Marketing
Question and Answers by
Clarence Poe in Progressive
Farmer
zone of my neighbors is hesitat-

Farmer
zone Of my neighbors is hesitat-
One of my neighbors is hesitat-
ing about joining the cooperative
marketing association because he
says it means big salaries for the
managers of the associations busi-
ness. What is the best answer to
make to this criticism?"
A lot Of people do just enough
thinking to mislead themselves and
not enough to protect themselves.
That is the trouble with your neigh
Dor so far What you need to do
now is to set him to think just
a little further.
Ask hin, to visit four or i've Of
the leading market-towus around
him and see if he isn't already pay
ing "big salaries to lot of cotton
buyers and tobacco buyers and
warehousemen. ASK him to look
at the houses they live in, the ser
wants they keep, the automobiles
they ride in, and find out about the
stocks and bonds and real estate
they own. Then he can decide for
himself whether he is not already
paying q lot Of pretty fat salaries
to men who buy and handle his
crops.
We have no desire whatever to
stimulate any prejudice against cot
ton buyers or tobacco buyers. Some
Of the finest men we know are in
this line of business. But as we
have said before, these men them
selves would have to admit that
with the present opportunities for
taking advantage of the ignorant, a
lot OF crooks have also been at
tracted to the businessmen who
not only make legitimate profit
but makes excessive and swindling
profits out of the farmer. And the
farmer. as a rule is in no position
to determine definitely and sat:sfac-
torily Just which buyers will treat
him fairly and which will not.
Moreover, even the most honest
and honorable buyer would not
think for a minute of saying that
9he is in business ''for his health. y
He would not think Of denying
that ne is already getting a very
good salary" out of the farmer
And if buyers themselves admit
this, certainly your farmer-neigh-
bors ought to admit it.
This being the case. then the
whole question for your farmer
,neighbor to decide may be very
clearly stated this way:
Will it be best for him as a
farmer to go on with the present
marketing system which means
that he will:
% Keep on paying salaries of
buyers and /Narehousemen and
middlemen whom he cannot select,
(2) Some of these being very
honorable men but some Of them
crooks ready to swindle the farm
er out Of every cent they can.
60 None of these men being re-
Sensible to the farmer or subject to
his control.
!. 90 It being to the interest Of all
these buyers and middlemen that
we now support to get our crops
as cheaply as they can.
Or it will be best for your farm
er neighbor to adopt the coopera-
tive marketing system, which
means that ne will:
% Help pay the salaries of ex-
pert selling agents selected by
farmers themselves through their
cooperative marketing association.
(2) S,..--S-iections to be made
after thorough and searching ex-
aminations as to honesty, ability,
and fitness;
CD These selling agents being
responsible to the farmers and SUBJ
ject to their control;
(4) It being always to the inter
est OF these hired selling agents to
sell our crops for us as high as pos
sible.
This is the whole situation in a
nutshell. 1t is just up to your
neighbor to use his common sense
in deciding which plan ought to be
better for him, his wife, and his
children. He Will have to do
mighty little thinking in order to
De convinced that he is already
paying good salaries to a lot Of
buyers, and that while the coop
erative marketing association eX-
poets to get the very ablest men
IN the buying business and will
have to pay good salaries for this
reason, nevertheless, under the CO.
operative marketing system (where
salaries go to men whose interest
it is to sell our crops at the high
est possible price, it will cost
farmers less to sell their cotton
chan it costs under the present sys-
tenn Git now being to the interest
Of the buyer to get our crops at the
lowest possible price,.
visited q county recently which
is only two counties away from the
one where your neighDor lives. IN
this county that visited the farm
ers today are paying the Salaries"
Of fifty-three cotton buyers-and
most of the fifty-three are living
we'll Under the cooperative mar
ketinS system l have no doubt but