The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1921-09-24
Cooperative Mar Z
keting Campaign
Organization Committee Is
sues Statement Following
Meeting in Columbia

Columbia, Sept. 22.-At a meet
ing of the organization committee
of the South Carolina Cotton Grow
ers' Cooperative Association Tues
dav it was decided to extend the
campaign for signatures TO the
contract at once into the counties
of York, Richland, Darlington,
Lancaster, Greenwood, Dorchester,
Lexington, Chester, Dillon, Marl-
boro, Kershaw, Oconee, Newberry,
Mccormick, Lee, Laurens, Calhoun,
Greenville, Pickens, and Saluda.
The committee expressed delight
with the progress being made in
the campaign and complete con-
fidence was expressed that the 400,-
600 bales necessary TO make the
contract effective would be signed
before May !, 1922, the final date
named in the contract.
The meeting was presided over
by President Harry G. Hammer and
most of the members Of the COM
mittee were present. r. c. Hamer,
chairman of the campaign COM
mittee, and DR.. W. Long, direc-
tor of the extension forces of
Clemson College, presented reports
of the progress made to date in Sc
curing signatures to the contracts.
1t was decided to make the
membership fee in the association
s5. 1t was pointed out that in Tex
as, Oklahoma and other states the
membership fee was $40 but the
committee decided that s5 would
be sufficient to meet the campaign
expenses in this state.
The committee has issued a state
ment setting forth the benefits of
the cooperative marketing system
as compared with the present mar
keting system. Extracts from the
statement follow:
who controls present system?
Spinners, spectators and gamblers.
"Who controls cooperative mar
keting system? Producers acting
through their cooperative sales
agency.
What is cost OF operating pres
ent system? The producer pays
the profits and expenses Of the
long line of buyers and dealers who
operate between him and the mills,
and he also pays for average of
eight samples per bale. for weather
damage, and many other wasteful
and unnecessary charges.
What is cost of operating CO.
operative marketing system? Cot
ton will move direct from the pro-
ducer to the warehouse of his SELL
ing agency without any cost except
transportation charges. When sold
by the association, the full amount
received, less the actual cost Of
maintaining the association, will be
returned to the growers. Wasteful
sampling, weather damage, and the
profits of many handlers will be en-
tirely eliminated.
What is the present selling
plan? Dumping as soon as har-
vested, which forces years sup
ply of cotton on the market in four
or five months, and inevitably
breaks the market.
What is the cooperative selling
plan? Orderly and systematic sell
ing throughout the year, according
to demnad, which will be facter
in stabiizing the market and min
innizing bear raids and efforts OF
spectators to break the market
and lower the price.
What is financing method OF
present system? None, so far as
the producer is concerned. Cot
ton buyers utilize the banking re-
sources Of the country to finance
the purchase of cotton, but produc-
ers are without any system for
using banking credit for orderly
selling.
what financing program for CO.
operative system? The cooperative
marketing association, using ne
gotiable warehouse receipts, will
utilize banking resources of the
country to make advances to mem
bers at time of delivery and mar
ket cotton in an orderly system
attic manner.
Grading and stapling present
system? Entirely in the hands OF
buyers. 1t is matter Of common
knowledge that cotton in the hands
of farmers is almost universally
underSraded and staple values lg-
nored in local markets, which are
the markets in which farmers sell
Grading and stapling coopera-
tive system? In the hands of ex-
perienced and competent men in
the employ of the cooperative mar
keting association Every membv:
will get the full benefit of the
grade and staple value Of each
+ bale he produces This alone vii
mean an average profit in excess Of
SO per bale.
+ weather damage, present sys'
tenn? From an average Of IS tc
more than $ss5 per bale-all paic
by farmers.
Weather damage, cooperative
system? None All cotton of al
members will be stored and insur.
ed in bonded warehouses.
Results present system? Pow
erty, child labor, hardship and dis
tress, poor churches, poor schools
and unsound, unstable business.
Results cooperative system
Fair and stable prices representing
cost of production and profit. 1nde
pendence, comfort, good churches
good schools and staple business.