The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1922-08-14
STRONGLY ENDORSES
COOPERATIVE MARKETING
OF Cotton and Tobacco.-Urges the
Banks to Back the Two
Associations.


Columbia, Aug. 13.-"If forty
years of marketing under the old
system have left this section unim-
proved, except for abnormal prices
paid during the war, then is it not at
least time to begin to look for some
other system of marketing?" asks W.
w. Bradley, State bank examiner, in
a statement issued yesterday strong
ly endorsing cooperative marketing
of cotton and tobacco and urging the
banks of the State to back the two
associations.
Mr.. Bradley declares that the sue
cess of the associations rests more
largely with the banks than with any
other force in the State. The plan
will succeed, he declared, just in so
far as the banks will it to succeed.
"There is nothing in the problem
that is inimical to their interests and
there is every probability of material
prosperity to the banks as we'll as
to the communities they serve in
promoting this marketing plan," de-
clares Mr.. Bradley in enumerating
some of the reasons why the bank
should support the associations.
SIN the past farm products have
been sold to thoroughly organized
compacts by thoroughly disintegrate
producers. The man who produces
has had no word in the conduct Of
produce exchanges. The law Of sup
ply and demand has been imperative
except in the Ease of extremely large
or extremely small crops, and then
has been used mainly to the advant-
age of the sp%eculator.
"Co-operative marketing it is be-
lieved, will remedy, if not cur this
evil by enabling the producer to
get some advantage of the selling
end of the law of supply and de-
mand.
"For instance, if all the cotton
produced in a single year were under
contract agreement with the associ-
alton, cotton mills could run only un-
til the carry over was exhausted and
Immediately producers would get the
benefit of the law of supply and de-
mand. If half the crop were tied up,
mills would then exhaust the carry
over and Independent cotton and
would respond to the law of supply
and demand when they were forced
to call for pledged cotton or shut
down.
eff no cotton is pledged the mills
buy from hand to mouth over a pc
riod of about eight months in which
time the producers interest has been
eliminated and the mills finally pay
a profit to the Spectator.
"These are facts that every in
formed farmer has known for all
time and yet he has been impotent
to remedy the condition.
Manufacturers will not permit
their mills to lie idle and hence when
the supply of independent cotton is
exhausted, as it soon will be, with
two very short crops in succession,
they will have to come to the hold
ers of pledged cotton and pay the
price. The law Of supply and de-
mand will then operate as certainly
as does the law of gravity in nature.
"In a general condition of fair
prices, the banks will be the first in
situations to prosper, and aside from
this, as distributing agents between
the corporation and producer, they
will be made direct repositories of
proceeds of crop sales. Banks, how
ever, should not expect to have these
side advantages handed them on a
silver waiter. The cooperative mar
keting associations are now little
better than in their infancy, they
need help to enable them to grow
to their full statue. The bank should