The Lee County journal. (Leesburg, Ga.) 1904-19??, 1923-10-19
MEMBERS CANNOT ,
BREAK CONTRACT

Growers Cooperative Association
who break their contracts by selling
outside Of the Association will pay
for their failure to keep faith with
their fellow members of the Associa-
ton was furnished last week when
announcement was made by the
headquarters Office of the Peanut AS
sociation at Albany that suits had
been filed against several members
) in different counties for alleged con-
tract breaking.
These suits, which were filed by
Pottle & Hofmayer, an Albany >law
firm, aided by local counsel in each
county, ask that the alleged default
ers be compelled by the courts to
pay the Association "liquidated dam
ages" at the rate of two cents a
pound or $4,000 a ton for every pea
nut they sold outside of the Associa-
ton, and that such members be re-
strained from further disregard of
their contract.
Contracts, which every one of the
nearly 5000 members of the Peanut
Association signed obligated each
members to deliver to the Associa-
ton for sale call of the peanuts pro-
duced or acquired by or for him
during the vars 1928, 1924, 1925,
1926 and 1927" This contract has
been construed to cover the crops
of tenants and share troopers on the
place of a landlord who signed a
contract for similar delivery.
1t was matter of protection to
the loyal members Of the Peanut As
ISOLATION that these suits were filed,
according to Colonel Robert E. l..
Spence, President and General Man.
ager of the Association, who declar-
ed that they would be followed by
others if further cases of contract
breaking are discovered by him and
other agents of the growers organi-
cation. 'There is nothing personal
in the matter whatever" he added;
sit is simply a business move III be-
half of those who have Loyalty kept
their contracts by delivering ell of
the peanuts they have for the mar
ket to their Association-and [ am.
happy to say that these loyal ones
are overwhelmingly in the majority,
the contract slackers being notably
few. But if we allowed these few
to get away with it, others would
be tempted by the high prices nov
prevailing, largely because of the
Association, to break their CON
tracts"
The suits will be impartial, Colonel
Spence declared, the big defaulter
being sued as we'll as the little one,
if not actually sooner, 81 feel SORRY"
he said, "for the little fellow, who
through stress of obligations yielded
to temptation, but if we let him get
away with breaking his contract
lightly, others would do the same.
1t is true that all of the money is
not forthcoming at once for Associa-
ton members, but they are receiving
first payments at the rate of $500
ton, and there is not a man that
one of them owes who would not
wait for the rest Of his money if
they make part payment on the debt
and show him their participation re-
ceipt calling for the rest of their
money later"
Colonel Spence called attention to
the high prices that have ruled since
the opening of the peanut market
in September and declared that the
Association has been the largest
single factor in bringing this to pass.
Several of the members have writ
ten in to say that, in their opinion,
peanuts are at greatly higher level
Of prices than would have been the
case with no Association. Some of
members pointed to press dispatches
indicating price for peanuts in
Southeast Alabama, where there is
no Association, much lower than
that prevailing in Georgia where
there is strong Association. at was
to continue this favorable situation
in Georgia that the suits were filed
against contract breakers, Colonel
Spence said" and for the same rea-
son that others will follow if other
members disregard the notice and
warning they now have"