Fitzgerald leader enterprise and press., 1922-02-09
Texas Farmers
Profit. By Pool
Here To Help in Organizing Georgia
Cotton Marketing Cooperative

marketing in Texas proves beyond a
doubt the practicability of cooperative
marketing in Georgia" says F. r.
Shanks, farmer and former county aq-
ent of Bee County, Texas, who is in
who is in Georgia to assist in the
cotton pooling movement
Mr.. Shanks has been brought here
with a team of about twenty other
Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas far
mers, having been called upon to as
sist the farmers in this state in their
effort to establish the cooperative mar
keting movement.
Testimony in regard to the success
of the Texas and Oklahoma associa-
tions as given by these men is most
surprising. A number of them have
actual cotton receipts from their as
sociations showing grades, staples, the
prices and their net gains as the result
of being members of these coopera-
tons.
The organized cotton growers in
Texas, according to Mr.. Shanks, have
been obtaining from one TO three cents
per pound more than the unorganized
growers, during the past year. In ad-
dition to this he says that the mem
bers have been receiving full value for
grade and staple, while non-members
have not More than this, the men,
bers have escaped all losses from coun-
try damage, and their cotton has been
warehoused more cheaply than under
the speculative buyer plan.
\ Mr.. Shanks took prominent part
in\ the organization or the Texas as
'sociation, and later acted as campaign
director during the Arkansas sign
up. He is therefore we'll acquhin-
ted with the INNER workings of the
cotton cooperative associations.
SO much confidence does the Fed
eral Government have in the Texas
ASSOCIATION, that loan of fifteen mil
lion dollars was granted them by the
War Finance Corpo ration, at the low
rate OF six per cent interest, Mr. Shank
says,
"With this money the association
advanced each of the members $50
per bale as soon as their cotton was,
delivered at railroad points or COM
presses. Then, with some further ad-
vances made Immediately after de-
livery, farmers have been placed in
a position t oallow the association to
hold their cotton for gradual market
ing from month to month.
The new system, although differ
ent from the old in many ways, did
not cause any radical changes in Tex
as Mr.. Shanks points out. "The cot
ton goes through practically the same
channels as before; through the same
gin, over the same railroad to the
same warehouse and compress.
A bale Of cotton raised by Farmer
Jones, who is member of the asso-
citation, is carried to the railroad sta
tion or bonded warehouse Immediately
after being ginned. A warehouse re-
celpt or bill-of-lading is taken to his
local bank, a draft is drawn on the
association for an amount that ap-
proximates 60 per cent of the value
OF the cotton, and this is paid immed-
lately by the banker, just as though
he cotton buyer had given the check.
When the cotton reaches the com
press or bonded warehouse, sample
is taken. The sample is marked and
sent to the central CHASING rooms
where it is graded and stap1ed by an
expert in the employ of the association
"After the sample is classed, the bale
of cotton is placed in a pool togeth-
er with other cotton of the same grade
and the same staple. Sales are made
from this pool from time to time thru
out the year, and as the sales are made
payments are sent out to the farmers
in proportion to the amount of cot
ton they have in the pool.