The Holly chieftain., 1923-11-01
pAssoNEAu AT HOLLY


rounds of Bent, Baca and Prowers
counties spoke at the high school
auditorium last Thursday evening
He was accompanied by Mr. Grow
the county organizer, who plans
numerous school-house meetings
following their larger meetings.
Mr.. Passoneau who Is touring the
county under the auspices of the
Colorado Wheat Growers Associa
tioh gave highly interesting ad.
dress convincing his auditors even
the most skeptical-that move
ment was on franght with the most
important results. The speaker
made 1t plain that it was non
political move since both Demo
cratic Governor and Republican
President were sponsoring the or
ganization.
He narrated the history of co
operative selling in America. the
movement beginning in California
back in 1896. Now California has %
successful cooperative organiza
ton and 72 per centof the whole
porducers are organized-mostly
fruit and poultry cooperatives. The
movement spread to Washington
and Oregon.
Four years ago a movement TO
organize the wheat growers started
in Washington During the first
year250O000 bushels of wheat out
of 100000 were in the pool. Last
year six states of the northwest
were organized and nine states in
the American Wheat Growers As
sociation and this year S5,OOo,Oor
bushels of wheat will be handled
At a recent Chicago meeting two
thirds of the wheat had been sign
ed up in the states of the Associa
tion.
In Colorado where the movement
began eight months ago seven mil
lion bushels have been signed up
mostly in the northeast Colorado
Next month two directors from
each organized state meet at Den
yer for consultation. They expect
to get two.thirds of Colorado in the
pool by July first and by 1929
three fOurths of all.
Organization had been disceditea
by many because of the enormous
numbe of failures imong small
compositions. But among the IS big
national movements there have
been only six failures and only one
of these failues had been a nation
al commodity. Only lone tobacco
state remains unorganized. Sever
per cent Of the agricultural pro
ducts of the country are now under
cooperation.
Fifty per cent of all steel Is now
handled by the u. s. Steel Corpora
tion and GO per cent controlled by
given group of men. The first mer
ger was in 1874 and by 1901 all
companies were merged into one to
dominate the market Before the
merger under the U. s. Steel Cor
poration the price varied from sli
to s35 per ton in a few months
After unification. the price rose
to S2S and stayed at that figure for
many years till the war raised the
price.
Compared with steel the farmer
is so per cent behind the times
because the farm is so mach we'd
ded to individual sales which has
meant competition among them
selves and placed them at the
mercy of buyers. who make the
price what they please.
Wheat, cotton and tobacco are
III the same class of commodities.
All three are good keepes, are pro-
duced in several countries on a
commercial scale and are In uni
versal demand Any enc is a good
subject for cooperation. The toba-
eco habit is being taught the
Orient and we ought to have
agents in China and Japan to
teach them to substitute wheat for
rice. Tobacco is driving opium out
of the Orient serving as an accept
able substitute. In like manner co
operation has forced a4O00 tons OF
raisins on the market in the form
of confections in the little boxes
now so familiar. Cooperative ad
yertising and selling did that Raj
sin confeetions now equal the total
Al ~, n,