The times-news. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1927-current, 1933-08-29
OUR VALLEY
By S. P. WERNER

Cooperative marketing, wheth-
er by voluntary agreement, or
under some of form Of govern,
men5 activity. has been advoca,
ted one OF the needs of our see,
ton, but the writer's personal az,
titude towards this is influenced
by the fact that he has never
yet had any produce 20 sell
which the commercial agencies
could not handle. The difficulty
has been more along the line Of
the failure of farmers TO pro-
duce enough Of any one product
TO Justify handling than from,
lack Of facilities 90 get produce
TO market. I have known re,
peated cases where large trucks
have secuted through a county
looking for a load of cabbage
and not finding it. I5,is expsn,
sive for the handlers to do this
One large field near a hardsur
faced road is a decided advant
age to buyer and seller both.
The whole subject Of the mar,
HeCing Of farm produce is inVoIv,
ed in its local application here
and the theme is highly compli,
Gated Florida vegetables grow.
ers have been looking round &c
find land, since they can sci
OUT summer and early fall crops
in that state. T. Is a common
practice for South Carolina
trucks TO seek our corn cribs late
in the spring, But we have
had much fruit and vegetable
produce go TO waste because il
is scattered over small patches,
or Of inferior grade, or grown
in inaccessible sections with poor
roads. Sometimes the summer
camps import their fruit anC
vegetable because it is too much
trouble 90 ransack the country
side; and local truck growers
cannot always sell TO the camps
because they cannot contract &c
supply all their needs, and the
camps must have an adequate
and regular supply. It looks rid,
iculous for French Broad farm,
ers to ship tomatoes to Florida
but not to be able to sell a
camp next door, yet, that is one
Of the vagaries Of the situation
Some central coOrdinating agency
might improve these conditions
But one cannot emphasize toe
strongl y the wisdom Of encourag
ing private mercantile initiative
TO handle the marketing problem
as far as possible. We have .
number Of splendid men in this
business and they can place
everything we can grow, if We
heed their counsel about VIVA
and how much and when anC
where to grow. The common
complaint about prices being fix
ed by agreements in the tradc
wOr d-contraCtuaI or merely
''telepathic" may be remedieC
in one of several ways; it vii
/ probably have to be effectively
dealt with nationally if the New
DEAF is to succeed; and local.,
there is a distinct field for ex
perimentation. Farmers am
producers must remember tina
it hurts a merchant as badly T,
go bankrupt through ruiuou
competition as it does a farme
to lose his land through over
production and overtaxation
Cooperation and coordination
means being as fair as possible
TO everybody. The two age-olc
| factors in financial rUin-un
limited competition and uujus
regulation-are the twin sister
of disaster. The one leads to an
archy, the other to tyranny. An,
| system designed to prevent econ
omic chaos must be directed tt
reduce both of these evils to
minimum. 1t is a heroic task t,
do so. But we can do it, if w
visualize both clearly and ar,
sufficiently determined to reduct
both to their lowest terms.
The discussion of this broat
problem of economies lies out
side the scope of these article
but it may be said that Our Val
ley, with its varied interests AM
re u rces, including industry
| agriculture, power. and resorts
| present an admirable locus 70
Intelligent cooperative effort Z
attempt solution of this maio
issue which might stand as a,