The Wisconsin tobacco reporter. (Edgerton, Wis.) 1877-1950, 1922-09-29
NOTE BOOK SKETCHES

new matters constantly requiring their
attention and their decisions. Three of
the important offices have been filled,
executive manager, warehouse director
and field director. The last named OF
fee will oe in charge of S. Neprud of
Viroqua- Mr.. Neprud has been super
intendent of the county asylum during
the past years, and has taken an inter
est in state politics. Besides acting as
field expert and instructor to the grow
iers as to seed selection, field cultiva-
tion, disease prevention and eradica-
ton, proper stripping, bundling, and
otherwise every phase of the growers
problem in producing high class type
of leaf, MIR. Neprud will be the pub
licity man Of the pool.
A committee consisting of Mr.. Nep-
rud, John Ellickson, Lars O. Lien Jr.
and MIR. Mccarthy is now making
survey of the situation in order to de-
termine the best way of handling the
publicity machinery. The machinery
of publicity, like every other phase of
pool organization, must be created and
organized, and this committee will rec
ommend on the basis of its investiga-
tions whether to employ some publica
tion already in existence for its news
service, or to start new organ for the
pool. Under all circumstances the pool
wants control of the publication. The
policies of the big organization will
find expression through the pool publi-
cation. 1t will be the forum where its
officials and members reach the mem
bership of the pool, and the markets.
AS the organization of the pool pro-
crosses, new problems arise and call
for solution. The size and many sided
ness of its operating ma ,hinery grows.
The matter Of expense in creating and
running the machinery is in itself
no insignificant problem. The bigness
of the enterprise looms constantly more
imposing as the thing gets under way.
An office of the most far-reaching
and one more delicate to
fill than any Of the others is that of
head grader for the pool. The direct
ors are casting about for man who is
qualified as an expert judge of tobacco
in all it's stages, and at the same time
capable of handling men, and endowed
with discriminating knowledge of how
to deal with all sorts of growers.
1t is thought that George Moen,
Stoughton banker and secretary-treas-
urer Of the pool, will also become office
manager at Madison. In him the pool
has young man of splendid qualifca-
tions for the job.
No definite plan has been agreed up
on in placing the 1922 crop on the mar
ket. Several plans are considered, and
a combination of these may be the
method finally adopted. One plan given
some consideration is to draw samples
from the bundles representing the av-
erage of types represented in each
crop, bring these samples to the ware
house, run them over the tables and es-
tablish their grades. When this is done
the buyers who would like to secure a
certain number of crops to pack on
their own account would select from
the samples on display and buy the
crop ps from the samples suiting them.
These crops would then be delivered to
the packers warehouses and paid for
according to the contract drawn up be-
tween the pool and the packer This
procedure would obtain if the pool
should find it wise not to handle all of
its holdings in its own warehouses. In
all events would the individual holder
have nothing to say about the selling
price. To make the thing fair to ev-
erybody, it might be found right to re-
turn to individual owners of crops sold
only the same percentage in cash as.
would represent the loan vnlue Of the
crop. That the field will be thrown
open to the market for competitive
buying in the bundle of pooled to-
bacco does not seem likely. 1t would
lead to too much dissatisfaction among
the members of the pool.
Another matter that is causing con-
siderable discussion among those out
side of the group of men who are in
itiated into the inner councils of the
pool is the grading not the grading
into types according to quality and size,
but the grading of tobacco which hales
from widely different growing areas.
The only definite information available
as TO that is a statement by one of the
pool officials to The Reporter, that
grade A, B, C, or whatever khe grade
may be, would contain no mark of the
section where it is grown. There will
be no Northern A as distinct from
Southern A. All in the A group will
be there on the basis Of grade char
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