Cheraw chronicle. [volume] (Cheraw, S.C.) 1896-2005, 1922-04-13
COOPERATIVE PLAN
PUT IN A NUT SHELL


out, nearly three thousand South
Carolina farmers have already signed
| cooperative cotton marketing con-
tract under the so called "SapriO" or
California" or Oklahoma" or "Tex-
as" plan. An organization committee
Of twenty-one leading South Carolina
farmers has been appointed, and in
to the hands of these twenty-one men
has been entrusted campaign for
| the organization Of the South Caro-
lima Cotton Growers Cooperative
| Association.
At least 100000 bales of cotton,
which means 10000 farmers, must be
signed up before May 1st, under the
plan which the organization commit
tee is instructed to follow.
The Problem.
Heretofore, we South Carolina far
mers, as we'll as all the others of the
South, have been raising cotton in
abundance. We have sold the cotton
to the spectators at their price. The
spectators sold the cotton to the
mill at big advances in the price. The
mills made it into cloth, and through
the medium of the wholesalers and
retailers we bought our cotton back
again in the form Of manufactured
goods.
A pound of cotton. for which we
secured II cents last year, made six
teen pairs of socks for which we paid
$500 at the dry goods store last year
The speculator made handsome
profit, so did the mill, so did the
wholesaler and so did the retailer,
but where did the farmers come in?
He did not come in to any great
extent
During a part Of the selling seaso'
last year the farmer got almost as
much as it cost him to produce it.
During the biggest part of the selling
season.. however, the cotton brought
a price so low that it would bankrupt
any farmer in three years, if he grew
enough cotton.
We have been selling our cotton for
whatever the speculator would pay us
and too often we have not had a penny
to show for the entire years work.
Even If we were fortunate enough
to sell when the market is "up" our
cotton was always undergraded from
five to fifteen dollars per bale,-that
is according to some of Uncle Sans
own statistics.
This is the problem which faces
South Carolina cotton growers today.
1t is the problem which faces the
greater part Of the farmers Of the
whole South today. We have been
growing a product-raw cotton, a
product which is such a staple that
it can be sold at any railroad point in
the entire world and day of the year
for a definite fixed price.
We southern farmers are the sole
growers Of this product. yet We have
no more voice in its price than we
have in regard to the price of cloth
ing or shoes or any other Of the
commodities which we must buy.
30 Sales to the Bale.
The average ten-year production of
cotton in the United States is about
100000 bales. The annual sales on
the cotton exchange number 100000
900.
Thirty sales to every bale.
A profit is reaped thirty times by
spectators and middlemen on each
bale, before it reaches the spinner or
exporter
The price of cotton is largely deter
mined on the cotton eXchange-a
place where 34S,000000 sales are fic-
titious as against 100000 that are
actually necessary! With such a diff
ference in favor of the speculator, he
controls the price.
Let Us Stop This Waste.
Let's put an end to this waste and
to this dictation by everybody but
ourselves, as TO the price that we
get for our cotton and as to how we
run our business.
If you will become member Of
this South Carolina Cotton Growers
Cooperative Association, and will see
to il that your neighbors join with the
rest of us, we will be in position to
handle our own business as we think
best, market our cotton in an orderly
and systematic manner so that we
make a profit on it-not merely every
third or fourth year but every year
that rolls around
Prosperity in California. !
1t is common knowledge that the
farmers of California are more pros
porous than the farmers of any other
section of the country. This is not
due to climate, not to soil, for South /
Cardinals natural resources are just
nc nnnh nc thnSn of California;: bMt |