Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1925-08-01
Discuss Disbanding
At Meeting Maine
Poultry Producers

| ton met at the Gardner Library
Hall Friday afternoon, and after
| spirited session voted uniformally
that members Of the said Association
J who wish to withdraw should make
J application to the executive board.
According to a verbal agreement the
said board will consider the appli-
cation of each individual, that he
may withdraw without recourse.
| A similar meeting ofNthe associa-
ton was held in Gardiner three
months to see If existing conditions
would be remedied. A. w. Sterling,
the secretary being M. c. Kicker of
Portland, Manager of the Association
who undertook to place before his
audience the attitude of the board of
| directors. He declared the purpose
of the meeting to be that of deciding
whether or not the Association was
| to disband, and went on to point
out the seriousness of the matter, as
| the future would be concerned. He
| touched upon the legal aspects of
| the case in that there would be a
| question in the legality of voting to
disband as the Association is char
! tered. He suggested the union of
the Maine and New Hampshire SELL
| ing agencies in such way as to
prove advantageous to all parties
| concerned and said that the New
Hampshire people were willing to
| combine. He asked the members to
give due consideration to the future.
and to ask themselves If they did not
! feel that the Association would be-
! come so valuable that they would
want to become a part of 1t. He
| pointed out that conditions in the
| Association were very much improv-
ed over those of three months ago.
| Here the discussion became gen.
eral, and after. the sentiment of the
Board of Directors was given by
| Frank M. johnson, the presiding Of
! ficer called upon Mr.. Deering of
Portland who in very able talk
| gave his audience a clear conception
| of the fundamentals of the organiza-
ton. The very fact that there are
over two thousand such organiza-
tions in existence proves that they
can render service. The points
touched upon by the speaker were
first, the organization must be con-
trolled by the producers, and here he
showed that the Maine Association
was controlled by them: second, the
organization must be on commo-
dity basis; third, there must be suf-
ficient volume of business. Maine
has this and must maintain it;
| fourth, proper accounting must be a
part of the organization, the treas
urer must make proper accounts,
and an annual audit of the books;
| fifth, membership contract, and as
this was the point under discussion
his remarks were listened to with
special interest. Membership con-
tracts according to Mr.. Deering are
the only thing that protects the 10y
al members: they are an agreement
that the Association will market
eggs of all the members. and will
enable the Association to do business
and hold 1t together; sixth, efficient
management, and seventh, loyal
| membership, and as these last are
contingent upon one another he dis
| cussed them as one, saying that they
were absolutely dependent upon one
another, and that success could not
Be obtained without either. "Neces-
| sity Is the foundation" he concluded,
| X there Is no need for the organiza-
| ton it should never have been
| founded He then stressed the need,
1
esting and convincing statistics re-
Jgarding the Boston receipts from
various states.
/ Upon the conclusion of Mr.. Deering' S
talk another attempt was made to put
the question, and again it was evaded.
Ballots were called for, but before the
! question for which the meeting was
called was put, the informal vote that
applications for withdrawal should be
sent within 10 days was passed and a
vote taken to adjourn.
1t was the viewpoint of influential
| members of the association that the
executive board put their promise of
permission to withdraw in writing,
but this the board refused to do. de-
claring that 1t would set a precedent.
One member of the board declared in
the meeting that he would never vote
in favor of allowing members to with
draw whenever they wished, but tina.
he would vote to consider their appli-
cations for cancelling contracts.
| THE ballot to be used in connection
with the meeting set forth the two
questions: LIST. Shall the Maine Poul-
try Producers Association be disband-
ed?" and End, Shall the bylaws be
amended? If yes. in what manner
oho ~ NAdt cAtcHl. by amending
Section 3 of Article Of the bylaws,
by striking out the word may in the
sixth line and substituting therefor
the word Shall SO that said action
as amended will read as follows Sec
ton 3. If any member shall cease
fall neglect or refuse for any reason
whatsoever to market all or any of the
poultry or poultry products owned OF
produced by him. as provided by the
said marketing agreement, then the
board of directors shall cancel his
membership and his certificate and ex.
pei him from membership in this asso.
citation; and all of his rights and inter.
ests therein shall by that act be can.
celled, and such member shall be en-.
titled only to payment. as provided by
law. Of the equitably appraised cash
value Of his interest in the property OF
the association"
1t is expected that legal action will
be taken in the case as many men,