Arizona republican., 1921-01-11
CO-Operative Marketing as an
 Aid to the Long Staple Cotton Growerso of theSaltRiver alley

The following article concerning the placing of the long staple cotton in- dustrv of the salt River valley on a firm financial basis under the title of Arizona Cotton Growers Co-opera- tionp appeared in the Progressive Farmer published in three editions at Raleigh. Birmingham and Dallas under the date of January 8 and was written bv Charles M. Morgan, publicity di- rector of the Arizona American Egyp- . tian Cotton Growers association of Phoenix:
 Cooperative marketing organiza- tions for handling farm products TOT the members are not form of so- cialism, nor Townleyism, nor any other ism" they are simply progresslses business sense applied in places where 1t is sorely needed. It is income insurance instead of income tax.
 Cotton marketing. by the nature or the product, is peculiarly adapted 10 co- operative effort. and by reason or the many abuses that have grown up in the present marketing system, co- operation Is most sorely needed Tn lhis industry. |.
 Arizona cotton growers have set s successful example along the me ol | limited or voluntary co-operatioh' .'. a.t | are now preparing to take the heAS he ! Iocical step. and go in for firm anu | enforceable cooperation. The history of the movement is interesting, ana lhe | results accomplished remarkable.
 How 1t Happened l.
 Pima long staple is grown only n the Salt River valley and It's super fority to all other types of cotton ls bringing it rapidly to the rom | throughout the Southwest. The m dustry is comparatively young, - ana ls not weighted down by any moss grown traditions. The type of men proouS- ing this cotton is unusually hleh' OoeI in education and intelligence Al these things make co-operaIOh IhuSi easier of accomplishment.
 r. Being a new industry. however, mads the cotton growers of Arizona more tiabIe to becoming the victims of un' scrupulous practices. Being new In the industry. they were less than usuahS we'll informed in many of its angles
 Being isolated by long intervening ols tances from other cotton secuoIls
 there was more danger of attempte' donfnation of their product by cer'
 tain small groups of interests, les'
 Likelihood of real competition.
 They Wanted to Know
 Numbered among the more inliuen
 tial and larger growers were men O large experience and former large m
 terests in other lines. They had gon
 into the cotton game seriously, m , tended to stay in 1t. and they wante : to know all about it. and to make a they legitimately could out or IL. Efforts at organization had pee
 made along the old fashioned way Q tho plan where 1t is everybody's busi ness, and consequently nobody's. an
 thev had accomplished nothing, so
 group of the larger growers got 10
 gether, talked the matter over. an | determined to cooperate among them
 selves, whether anybody else did c not.
 They went at 1t as business me
 should. by first securing expert a6 vice. They went into conference wit a F. O. Story, the founder and for man . wears president of the California Fru Growers exchange, and after gettiT the benefit of his advice. proceeded iii start.
 It was realized that the cotton grow ', CTS here were not ready for the fir 7 contract type of organization, but thi . they must be educated up to 1t by U demonstration of the actual henef
 of a Iooser type of CO., operation. e So the organization was started ar 2 incorporated under the name of u n Arizona American Egyptian Cott' T. Growers association, connection D. made, an office opened. and operation B. started, the original incorporate a guaranteeing the expenses of the ass n, ciation.
 Il The first work undertaken was g, establish an adequate and accura s- information service that would put t s. grower on a par of information wi n the buyers. This work soon develops ie the fact that they were not receivil n, prices comparable with the prices pa k, for comparable types of cotton, so tn l. added a sales department, got l. touch with competitive buyers for SC
 and lint. and soon ran the price !