The Marietta journal. (Marietta, Ga.) 1918-1944, 1922-02-23
TEXAS FARMERS ARE
PROFITING BY pool
Here to Help in Organizing Geor.
gia Cotton Cooperative Market

"The success of cooperative cot
ton marketing in Texas proves beyond
a doubt the practicability of cooper
alive marketing in Georgia." says F.
K. Shanks, farmer and former county
agent of Bee county, Texas, who is
in Georgia to assist in the cotton
pooling movement.
Mr.. Shanks has been brought here
with team of about twenty other
Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas farm
ers, having been called upon to as
sist the farmers in this stand in their
effort to establish the cooperative
marketing movement.
Testimony in regard to the success
of the Texas and Oklahoma associa-
tons as given by these men is most
surprising. A number of them have
actual cotton receipts from their as
sociations showing grades, staples,
prices and their net gains as the re-
suit of being members of these Coop
eratives.
The organized cotton growers in
Texas, according to Mr.. Shanks, have
been obtaining from one to three
cents per pound more than the I'M
organized growers, during the past
year. In addition to this, he says
the members have been receiving full
value for grade and staple, while non
members have not. More than this
the members have escaped all losses
from country damage, and their cot
ton has been warehoused more CHEAP
ly than under the speculative buver
plan.
Mr.. Shanks took a prominent part
in the organization of the Texas asso-
cation, and later acted as CAMPAIGN
director during the Arkansas sign-up.
He is therefore well acquainted with
the inner workings of the cotton CO.
operative associations.
so much confidence does the Fed
eral Government have in the Texas
association, that a loan of fifteen mil
lion dollars was granted them by the
War Finance Corporation, at the low
rate of six per cent interest,"" Mr.,
Shanks stated
With this money the association
advanced each of its members $50
per bale as soon as their cotton was
delivered at railroad points or COM
presses. Then, with some further adj
vances made Immediately after deIiv-
cry. farmers have been placed in a
position to allow the association to
hold their cotton for gradual mar
ketlng from month to month.
The new system, although differ.
ent from the old in many ways, did
not cause any radical changes in
Texas" Mr.. Shanks points out. "The
cotton goes through practically the
same channels as before, through the
same gin; over the same railroad tc
the same warehouse and compress.
"A bale of cotton raised by farmer
Jones, who is a member of the asso
citation, is carried to the railroad sta.
ton or bonded warehouse Immediate
ly after being ginned. A warehouse
receipt or bill-of-lading is taken t.
his local bank, draft is drawn on the
association that approximates so pei
cent of the value of the cotton, anC
this is paid Immediately by the bank
err, just as though the cotton buyer
had given the check.
when the cotton reaches the com
press or bonded warehouse, a sample
IS taken. The sample is marked anC
sent to the central chasing room anC
there graded and stapled by an ex
pert IN the employ of the association
After the sample is classed, tn,
bale of cotton is placed in a pool to
gether with the other cotton of tn,
same grade and the same staple
Sales are made from this pool from
time to time throughout the year. AM
as the sales are made payments ar,
sent out to the farmers in proportio,
to the amount of cotton they have il
the pool"