The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1922-05-03

and other business men Of Manning.
The situation here, gentlemen, is
just this: The Tobacco cooperative
Association now has three hundred
and sixty members in Clarendon
County who will, deliver to the Asso-
citation this summer and fall more
than. two million pounds Of tobacco
crop grown in the county. This is
smallest percentage of the crop that
has been signed up in any county in
the state except possibly in Horny
county. We expect to put on cam
paign for new members during the
next sixty days which we believe will
increase very largely the amount
already signed up. So far, the work
of getting members has been done by
the County Agent assisted by the to-
bacco growers themselves and three
or four business men in Manning. AS
far as l have been able to- find out,
not merchant and only one banker
has done any actual work for the as
sociation.
The association has not yet been
able to secure any warehouse facili-
ties at Manning for handling the to-
bacco which they have under contract
in Clarendon County, and two of our
WoiSiiSooSiliCii are WdS HlS d IclcNGlcSS
fight against it. In this fight, they
are aided and backed by The Manning
Times, which does most of the ware
house printing in this state, and,
believe, enjoys the further distinction
of being the only paper in the state
that is fighting the association.
The two other. important points in
the state where the association has
not yet secured warehouse facilities
are Florence and Lake City. At Lake
City the business men of the town
have taken it on themselves to pro-
vide the necessary facilities and have
already been able to assure the asso-
citation that they will get all the
warehouse room they may need at
that point. In Florence the business
men have given the same assurance
and only last week appointed twenty
five committees to make house to
house canvass of Florence County for
new members. Every warehouse at
Kingstree has been turned over to the
association and one-half of the houses
at Timmonsville. In Williamsburg
County, more than two thirds of the
tobacco has already been signed up
by the association, but last week
every bank in the town closed up for
one day and all their officers and en-
ployces joined with merchants and
other business men in canvass of
the County for additional members.
Now, gentlemen, I know that the
association would like to assemble
most of the tobacco which they have
under contract in this County at
Manning, but they are not obliged to
do so; and, in my opinion, they will
not do so unless they get more help
and cooperation from the business
men Of this town than they have got
ten so far. About two-thirds of the
tobacco grown in this County is sold
not be a very great hardship on these
members to continue to haul to out
side points. Olanta, Timmonsville,
Lake City and Kingstree can very
well take care of the tobacco in the
Northern and Eastern sections of the
County and there would probably be
no trouble in securing the warehouse
at Summcrton for that portion grown
in the Western section. This would
leave little tobacco in the immediate
vicinity Of Manning that would have
to be assembled here, but this amount
would be so small that it could be
easily taken care of.
This is one side of the picture. Let
me call your attention to the other
side. Manning is one of the oldest
tobacco markets in the State. 1t is
situated in the center of county
that grows about 100000 pounds Of
tobacco annually. 1t has good roads
leading to all sections of the County,
and yet, with all these natural ad-
vantages, and after more than twenty
years of effort, the market sold last
year only ,527,877 pounds of tobacco,
which is less than third of our
production. This market, for some
reason, has never been popular with
for the past few years its sales have
been confined almost entirely to to-
bacco grown within eight or ten miles
of the town. Last year we lost good
part of this nearby tobacco and it was
actually hulcd through the town to
other markets. Not only that, but
spectators bought tobacco on our
warehouse floors and hauled it to
Kingstrcc for resale.
What is the reason for this? The
farmers say that this is poor mar
kct and that they sell here only on
account of the greater distances they
have to travel to get to other mar
kets. The warchousemen contend
that this is as good market as any Of
them, and that the reason they do not
get more tobacco is because the bust
ness men of the town do not CO.
operate with them and help them to
get tobacco here as they do at other
markets. l will give you some
figures that | think will enable you to
find out who is correct
Our chief competitive markets for