The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1923-04-24

ed. | am sure the contract will hold
good and | believe when decisions are
handed down against the violators the
association will be greatly strengthen
ed here and that many new members
will then come in" John A. Coggln,
r. F. D., Windsor, a member, said:
~ believe in the association and have
faith in the present management"
Question: "What do you think you
should get for your 1922 crop"
Answer: "Seven cents per pound
He said: q believe farmers would
now be getting about AZ cents per
pound if there was no association. |
think the association here and the
people in Georgia should make ar
rangements to clean and shell their
members stock
f. N. Spivey, r. F. D., Windsor
member, said: Il believe in the or
ganization of farmers if properly con-
Quoted, but l do not think the Nir-
ginia-C Carolina Association has been
the best thing for the farmers as it
has been conducted in the past. When
l finished picking my 1921 crop |
could have gotten OF cents per pound,
but being a member of the assocla-
ton | turned them over to it and re-
ceived $2.45 per hundred pounds"
l went from Windsor to Suffolk,
Va, by train. Suffolk is the socalled
heart of the Virginia peanut belt and
most OF the big cleaning plants are
located there. A fine grade of Jumbo
peanuts are grown in this section.
Mrs. L. S. Pruden, Suffolk, Va, a
non-member. said from what she had
heard she didn't think much OF the
association. Said she had heard there
was trouble with the first years man
agement. She said more cotton was
being planted than formerly and few
er peanuts, because land was getting
cropped out on peanuts.
NJ c. helms, nOn-member, said he
believes the principles of the associa-
ton are all right, but that the past
operations of it had been a failure.
J. H. Norheet, not member, said:
81 think cooperative marketing a
good thing, but that anyone will have
a hard time with it now because there
has been such bad management OF
the Virginia Carolina Association"
H. ]. Gale, member, r. +. D., Sui
folk, said he believed in the assoc1a-
ton, and thinks the biggest block in
the way of success OF it is the shell
ers. He said: Il believe the assoc1a-
ton is responsible for the present
good prices and that if it should fail
the growers would be ruined"
w. K. Wagner, non-member, coun-
try merchant doing supply business
to farmers, says: There is a notice
able difference between members and
non-members paying their bills. Very
little, if anything, has been paid by
members on their accounts. There IS
general dissatisfaction among men,
bers in this section
Presley Smith, r. F. D., Suffolk,
member, said: Il believe in the asso-
citation. The directors at first had no
experience and Birdsong, the first
manager, took advantage Of them. |
believe in the men in charge OF the
association now and am sure conf
dence is being rapidly restored in 1t
among members. | am planting some
cotton because | find It more proiita-
| bic than any other crop and not be-
cause | am dissatisfied with the as
/ sociation. | believe association mem
| bers will get more for their 1922 crop
than non-members. | will rot plant
as large a crop in 1925 as l did in
1922. Birdsong owned and rented
warehouses and charged the associa-
ton profits in addition to the $4,000
salary paid him.
| J. T. Williams, R. F. D., Suffolk
Va, member, said: "Co-operative
marketing is what we need and | rec
ommend it to Georgia, but | warn
you against errors in the beginning
| think every cooperative organiza-
ton should mill and prepare its mem
| bers' products for the market and
not be dependent on the shelters who
have been the enemies Of our associa-
ton Ii Georgia organizes it should
sue promptly every man who violates
the contract | think the Virginia
Carolina Association made mistake
not to prepare to clean its first years
tcrop."
Having heard that there was to be
a meeting of the growers OF Wash
ington county, n. c., at Plymouth
April 18th, | took the train to that
place. The meeting was for the pur-
pose OF nominating candidates for di-
rector Forty members were present
When the business OF the meeting
was over | requested the privilege OF
taking a poll Of the members. Thirty
eight expressed themselves as salts
fed, one dissatisfied and one had rent
ed his farm and had no peanuts. He
was employed as a civil engineer at
ten dollars per day. The member who
was dissatisfied was being sued by
the association for non-delivery.
1t was now Friday and raining. 1t
was still raining Saturday mornin. so
decided to go to Petersburg, Va,
where | had been told early in the
week there was to be a meeting OF
the association growers at 3 O'Clock
Saturday afternoon. There were about
! fifty members present at this meeting.
I made the same request here as at
| Plymouth, and the result OF the poll
was that all expressed themselves as
being satisfied
Mr.. Defender, the sales and adj
vertising manager of the association,
was at this meeting, and gave the
members a detailed account OF what
was being done by the association
heads. He gave what l consider some
very valuable statistical information
on peanut production and consump-
ton; and then told the growers about
pound package Of peanuts being put