The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1921-09-19
CARL WILLIAMS
TALKS T0FARMERS
OKLAHOMA MAN SAYS COOPER.
ATIVE MARKETING STRAIGHT
FORWARD BUSINESS PLAN
FOR CURE OF EVILS IN SELL
ING COTTON.

straight forward business plan for
the cure of evils surrounding the
marketing of cotton-evils which can
not be cured by political medicine
Carl Williams, of Oklahoma, presi-
dent of the American Cotton Grow
ers' Exchange, Saturday advised
South Carolina farmers to join !, the
South Carolina Cotton Growers Co.
operative Association. He told them
that on every sale already made by
the Oklahoma association, which is
now functioning, every farmer men,
Der has gotten two and half cents
pound more for his cotton than he
could possibly have gotten individu-
ally.
81 come to tell you of a remedy
which other farmers are taking and
to offer it to you but not to force you
| to take it," said Mr.. Williasm. "Those
farmers who are taking it are find
ing that it actually cures the disease.
I refer to cooperative marketing.
associations, which this year will han
die for the farmer, and by the farm
er and with the profit to the farmer
liz per cent of the cotton crop"
When it became noised on Aug.
| % and "a that these farmers had
obtained credit in excess of $60,000-
900 and that they were in position
to market their crop gradually in
stead of dumping it on the market,
Mr.. Williams said cotton advanced
three cents a pound in two days.
The history of cooperative market
| ing was briefly reviewed by the
speaker, who said that it dates back
one hundred years in Europe. 1t has
been tried on every conceivable plan
and commodity. He told of the ex-
perience of the raisin growers in the
Fresno valley of California. They had
been losing about cent pound on
their crop for years; the spectators
were making money. They formed a
cooperative marketing association
and in 1913 sold raisins for the first
time at a figure that was anywhere
around the cost of production. Each
year thereafter the price advanced.
Mr.. Williams declared that cooper
ative marketing association should
be organized by commodity and not
| by locality. They should be state
wide. A local association is necessa-
lrily weak one. It was poor manage
ment as rule and is subject to
competition. The association must be
| the dominant factor in it's territory.
The contract should be legal and
binding and for long term, not less
than five years. The long time con-
tract is necessary in order that the
association might make satisfactory
business arrangements. He told, for
example, of South Carolina mill
which entered into negotiations with
the Oklahoma association. He said the
mill told him it didn't care to aban-
don established channels just for one
or two years. When he told them the
contract was for seven years they
began dealing with him. Nobody but
cotton growers are eligible for mem
bership. It is an organization of, by
and for the farmer and its object is
to get a larger portion of the spin
iner price for cotton than the farmer
now gets.
] In Oklahoma the association ad-
vances 60 per cent of the value OF
the cotton to the farmer the day he
turns it over to the association.
4 The remainder is paid him as the
the pools are sold. All cotton is plac'
ed in pools and the pools are based
on the season, each farmer getting
the same price for the season for the
grade of cotton he turns in.
The association goes into the mar
ket and hires expert to work for the
farmer instead of against them a:
they have been doing. eve find thai
good man would rather work for u:
than for private corporations" he