The Wilmington morning star., 1946-09-16
BY Ely. FLOYD
Plant Food Institute


ity for their crop, provided the
tobacco placed under the los1 Il
put in proper condition for storing
In order for farmers to take I'D
vantage of the law, it is necessary
for the tobacco to be graded az
cording to United States stand
ards and this tobacco has to b
redried, put into h%ogsheads. and
stored in suitable storage ware
houses.
An individual tobacco farmer is
seldom able to get his tobacco In
condition for a loan as easily as
a cotton farmer in order to re-
ceive 80 per cent parity loan
value. Farm organizations and
other farm leaders have been
aware of tbs fact. A good many
years ago they we're advised by
Commodity Credit that they could
not provide for taking care Of
this loan in peace-times in the
same way they could in an emer-
gency, such as we have had dur.
ing the recent "a The farm or
CARNATIONS have been diligently
working and, prior to the be in
ming of this market season, .ad
worked out all the plan S, made
the necessary contacts to perfect
an organization, and arranged for
its operation, if it became nee
essary to 60 into operation on
short notice.
New Corporation
This organization is known as
the Flue-Cured Tobacco Coopera-
tive Sterilization Corporation. 1t
is an organization of farmers with
a charter incorporated under the
laws of North Carolina and is be-
ing domesticated in the flue-cured
tobacco states, which makes it ell
gible to operate when tobacco
quotas are in effect in all flue-cur-
ed states.
The directors of the Corpora
tions are: H. G, Blalock, Bakers
vile, Virginia; D. F. Burton, Abel,
Georgia; R.. S, Rogers, Dillon,
S. c.; and six farmers from
North Carolina. These growers are
Bill Hooks, Whiteville; T. W.
Allen, Creedmoor; ]. E. Winslow,
Greenville; W. W. Eagles. Mac
clesfield; George Sockwell. Route
l, Elon College; and Carl T.
Hicks, Walstonburg.
Carl T. Hicks is president of the
Sterilization Corporation and H.
G. Blalock is vice president.
Lloyd T. Weeks of Raleigh is Sec
rotary and treasurer. Governor
Gregg Cherry has appointed me
public director" 1t was the hope
of the directors, Government Of
f%icials, and leaders throughout
the flue-cured res that this pro-
gram would not have to be put
into operation this selling season.
4 very close study was made of
the markets from the time they
opened in the Georgia-Florida
Belt and a study was continued in
the Border Belt. In the first week
or two or the Georgia-Florida
markets there wer very few
grades of tobacco that sold below
the loan value. The second week
after the opening in the Border
Belt and at the close of the Geor-
gia-Florida markets, it developed
that there was a wide fluctua-
ton in the prices paid for certain
grades of flue-cured tobacco and
such grades were then consistent
ly selling below the loan value.
Educational Plan
On August 9 the directors of the
Flue-Cured Tobacco Cooperative
Sterilization Corporation decided
that it would be advisable to put
the loan program in operation. On
the morning of August 10 an an
nouncement went out through the
press that the program would be
in operation on August IL. Natur.
ally there were a lot of details
with reference to the plan that had
to be worked out. Everyone was so
confident that the program would
not have to 80 into effect the
present selling season that very
little educational work had been
done. But with the fine coopera-
ton and whole hearted support of
the Grange, Farm Bureau, Elk
tension Service, Vocational Teach
ers, Soil Conservation Service,
Farm Security. Production and
Marketing Administration, To-
bacco Branch of the U. S. D. A.,
N. c. State Department of Agricul-
ture, N. c. Tobacco Council, and
the Bright Belt Warehouse Asso-
citation, an outstanding job has
been done.
The warehousemen have accept
ed the responsibility of acquaint-
ing the farmers with this pro.
gram. The Tobacco Exporters
Leaf Association has also done an
outstanding job in making ar
rangements with redriers, who
have contracts with the Stabilize
ton Corporation for handling to-
bacco. Due to the uncertainty as
to the amount of tobacco the Stab
ilization Corporation would get
and the likelihood that the organi-
cation would not 60 into operation
this year, some of the redriers
were so heavily engaged that they
could not give the sar,ina thu