The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1921-03-13
NEW DAY DAWNlNG
FOR COTTON FARMER

run CUIIUN FAKIMEK
Oklahoma City, March 9.-Sixty days
ahead OF its campaign schedule with
more than 200,0 bales signed up on
March /. the Oklahoma Cotton Grow.
ers' Association, farmer cooperative
organization formed on the non-profit
plan with contract fun Of teeth,
sees daylight ahead and win begin
actual business this year, handling be.
tween 400, 900 and 00,O0O bales. ac.
cording 10 announcement made today
at the state headquarters Of the as
ISOLATION. The work is being pushed
in ~ Of the SO cotton counties and
seven out of 10 farmers are signing
The ironclad contract as fast as they
can be reached. Secretary c. L. Stea-
ley and Carl Williams chief Of the
organization forces, said they confident
~ expect a minimum of 400 900 bales
TO be signed up by May 1st.
This is the first cooperative mark
eting association TO be put over in
cotton growing territory oklahoma
bankers, business men and general ag-
ricultural leaders, all of whom are
lined up solidly behind the association,
express the unanimous belief that the
success of the Oklahoma association
means a new day is dawning for the
cotton farmers and that the system
IL l..
down by taking the market say-so out
of the hands OF spectators and plac-
ing that say-so-all of it-in the hands
Of the folks who produce the cotton,
on q basis of Is cent cotton, the OK
ishoma association expects TO do $780,
900 600 TO $40 900 600 business this year,
which makes it rank among the three
or -four largest buying and selling
firms in the United States. The cot
ton will be sold direct to spinners, or
10 spinners' brokers.
The Oklahoma cotton marketing
plan is already spreading to other
states. The Texas cotton growers are
organizing an association TO handle
and sell l.l00,0 600 bales of this years
crop The Mississippi long staple
growers have about completed their
organization under the same plan. The
growers OF North Carolina have adopt
ed it., and the Arkansas legislature
has just passed q law permitting non
profit cooperative associations TO be
formed. The Georgia growers are
warming up" to the Oklahoma plan
and so are the growers in Louisiana
and South Carolina.
II the Texas growers complete their
association this year-and they say
they will, the Oklahoma and Texas
ing agency and handle the crops Of
both states through one exchange.
Other states may join this exchange
as their cooperative organizations are
perfected and put upon a going basis,
The Oklahoma association is com
posed Of farmers and landlords who
receive cotton as rent. Each member
signs an iron.clad contract. The con-
tract provides that he shall deliver all
OF his cotton to his association for a
period Of seven years. Heretofore, in
cooperative" associations it has been
an easy matter TO break the contract.
But the contract used in Oklahoma is
legal and binding upon the man who
signs 1t. There are only three ways
farmer member can get out from
under the contract. one way is to
stop growing cotton. Another way is
10 move out Of Oklahoma. And the
third way is to die. The contract is
5000 words long but here are the sal
lent features of it,
!. The grower agrees to help carry
out the aims of the association, which
are cooperative marketing, elimina-
ton of speculation and waste and the
stabilization Of the cotton market in
the interest Of growers and public
alike.
>. The association agrees to buy
and the grower agrees to sell all OF
the cotton produced by the grower
during 1921. 1922, 1928, 1924, 1925,
1926 and 1927
3. The grower agrees that the crop
has not been contracted 10 anybody
else.
4. The grower agrees to deliver
all Of his cotton as early as possible
and TO abide by the rules OF the asso-
citation in regard to grading, pooling
selling, etc.
3. The association agrees to pool
all cotton Of similar grade and staple
and 10 sell each grade separately.
q. The association agrees to sell
all cotton delivered to it, and TO pay
the grower the average price received
for the grade he produced minus the
cost Of operating the association.
:. The association agrees TO pay
substantial advance to the grower
az the time the crop is delivered and
TO distribute the proceeds as rapidly