The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1923-02-25
DECLARES BUREAU
REVOL IONIZ|NG
WORK Of FARMER
Allen Northlngton in HartseIIe
Speech Tells of Progress
So Far in Co-opera-
tive Marketing
TENNESSEE VALLEY BUREAU !
THE AGE-HERALD
HartseIIe. Ala. Feb. "a !


The widely advertised meeting of
the farm bureau farmers of Morgan
county opened here at 10 o'clock
today with James E. Cain. president
Of the Morgan county farm bureau
presiding. Allen Northington of
Montgomery. secretary-manage OF
the Alabama Cotton association, made
the principal address and was in
troduced to the audience in the city
hall in an appreciative manner. Mr..
Northington, while speaking espe-
ciaIly on the work of his department
OF the farm bureau. took occasion
to outline the aims and plans of
the farm bureau movement.
He declared that the farm bureau
movement is OF such a character as
would revolutionize farming; that
the agricultural college and the
state experiment station, and the ex-
tension service. were all three .'ork-
ing hand in hand in developing the
farm bureau work, as well as COM
mercial clubs and other organiza-
tlons. The farmer has not kept pace
with other businesses, especially as
to marketing, according to Mr..
Northington. I'VE must have the
very best methods of marketing as
well as for production" he said. He
declared that business men would
profit quite as much as the farmer
by the use OF better marketing. Amy
and all farm problems can be solved
by the farm bureau principles said
the speaker.
The Alabama farm bureau :es con-
tracted for more than 100000
worth of nitrates and other fertil-
izers thereby effecting a caving
of about $250,000 to all farmers
whether members of the bureau or
not. The transportation problem
was touched on by the speaker and
he said that in Baldwin county
freight rates were adjusted amount
ing to $50 car on satsuma oranges,
according to Mr.. Northington.
Praises Community Bureaus.
M. Northington laid special stress
on the value of community farm
bureaus, such as WAS so recently
of the county. He thought that the
proper functioning of such bodies
would prove beyond doubt the value
of the farm bureau movement. He said
the organization was non-capital and
non-profit seeking, as all surplus
reverted back to the membership.
o o O
Talks on Cotton States.
ATr III
his speech which was an exhaustive
statement of the whole farm bureau
movement as it is related to the
farming and business interests to the
Alabama Cotton association. He said
there were 1900 members in the
association and that they controlled
10000 bales OF cotton. He said the
profits to the membership went into
the hundreds OF thousands that sold
on the outside.
He said to the evident satisfaction
of the crowd that Alabama people
had financed the bureau so Ear ana
at an interest rate of per cent.
The grading department of the asso
citation was shown to be giving a
much fairer and a higher average to
the cotton of the farmers. The whole
principle of the bureau is to sell as
direct from the cotton maker to the
cotton manufacturer, to so stabilize
the price that cotton farmers will be
able to make fair profit on their
product year after year.
The speaker said that the bureau
was at this time mailing out checks
to its members that would allow
them to cash in for as much as 20
cents a pound, middling basis. and
still retain IAN equity In the same
cotton" Near the close of his speech
Mr.. Northington dwelt upon the con-
structive tasks the farmers have be-
fore them and he laid emphasis in
the moral and educational value OF
the farm bureau movement, if prop
erly carried out. County Agent j. C.
Ford and others interested in better
farming and fairer share to the
farmers also made addresses at the
meeting, which was adjudged by
many prominent citizens here as an
epoch making one.