Newspapers / The Carolina Union Farmer … / June 20, 1912, edition 1 / Page 2
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Page Two THE CAROLINA UNION FARMER [Thursday, June 20, 1912. Co-operation GROWTH OP CO-OPERATION. We have not known anything quite like the growth of the co-op erative idea of buying and selling farm produce. It has come with a rush—nothing can now stop it. On the consumer’s side it is in effort to obtain more food for the consum er’s dollar. On the farmer’s side the effort is to get more than 35 cents of that same dollar. The Rural New- Yorker is most interested in this last proposition. It is the most import ant thing in American farming. The schemes for great city markets and vast associations for buying city food have backers and will be pushed, but it is not along these lines that 35 cents will be increased. That is a business proposition of selling which the farmers alone can work out. The new demands by consumers will make it necessary to have fresh, clean goods packed and handled as the con sumers demand. We take it for granted that some of the useless middlemen will be cut out. That be ing so, the producers who pack and ship satisfactory goods will get the trade. They may be regular farm ers, or they may be great corpora tions who will go out and take large tracts of land and grow vegetables or fruit or keep hens or cows on a large scale. Let us all understand that the mighty changes which are com ing in city buying will force even greater changes in country selling. There never was a more hopeful chance for the farmers to obtain more than 35 cents of the dollar, but that chance will only come to farm ers who rise to it and go after it. They must organize and learn how to put up uniform brands of high-class goods. Co-operation among city buy ers and unorganized selling by farm ers will put all the advantage in the hands of the buyers. Co-operation among farmers as sellers will put them on even terms. This is a mighty question—with many conflicting sides to it. Our side is co-operative work in packing, shipping and selling and we shall make a special feature of it. Next week it will be the story of a Michigan creamery which enabled a group of farmers to be free. We shall follow with other facts showing what farmers are doing and how they do it.—Rural New-Yorker. NEW ORGANIZATIONS. From now on we may expect to see the newspapers printing items about organizations for providing farm loans. It has now been made clear that our farmers are handicap ped for lack of working capital. The Canadian and European farmers have a great advantage in the fact that they can obtain loans on easy terms, either directly from the government or through one of their credit asso ciations. For years the thought of making land or its products the se curity for loaning public funds would drive most flnancial experts into a fit. Yet other nations have gone ahead developing such a loaning sys tem, direct or indirect, and they have prospered. It is as sure as fate that ultimately some such system must be adopted here. Both the “sane” and the insane financial powers see this— that is why we shall see so much in the papers about it. The bankers and the money lenders realize that within a short time some new system of loaning money on farm securities will be worked out. They intend to do the working if it is possible. If we let them alone they will control such loans as they do others, and the benefits will work back into their hands. Then the fakes and snides who live on other people’s money want a hand in the new deal. “Co operation” will be their war cry. They will organize great stock companies —the plain people to furnish the money and these promoters to han dle it. Now the thing for our farm ers to do is to keep in the middle of the road, and work out their own fi nancial problems through co-opera tion. By getting together and unit ing their business and their property for business purposes they will have the basis for desired loans. The Government may supply the machin ery and the protection, but in order to make any such system worth while the farmers themcselves must control it. This they can do by providing solid security as basis for the loans. They have the property now, but it is scattered and thus not acceptable for large enterprises. Combine it in a business co-operation and it will form the best security in the world. This getting together for business purposes is the way out for the far mers.—Rural New Yorker. ORGANIZE THE COTTON GROW ERS. Atlanta Company Plans Campaign for Controlling the Pi’ice of Staple, Atlanta, Ga., June 8.—The Cotton Growers’ Co-operative Society has been organized with general offices here with the expressed purpose “of creating a system of scientific mar keting of the American cotton crop, so as to obtain for the grower a rea sonable price and for the spinner a staple price.” This price is set as 15 cents a pound. The officers of the society are Jas. L. Anderson, president; P. C. Wads worth, vice-president and general manager; John M. Green, vice-presi dent and acting treasurer; H. E. Stillwell, secretary; A. C. Werber, auditor. As an executive committee of the board of directors the same men are appointed, with the excep tion that in place of Werber is St. Elmo Massengale. It is proposed to conduct the busi ness operations in ten departments, legal, banking, credits, exports, do mestic handling, bonded warehouses, traffic, publicity, statistics, general organization. The plan is to operate through a superintendent and nine supervisors in each county of the States of the Cotton Belt. It is the duties of the superinten dents and supervisors to keep the general office informed as to acre age, fertilization and other condi tions of the crop. Also they are to have the grower commit his cotton to bonded warehouses designated by the society, for sale on or after Sep tember 1st. Warehouse System. The society’s plan is to have a com plete system of bonded warehouses, using the State warehouses wherever practicable, but when these are not available to bond the superintendents of the local warehouses through bonding companies. The society will offer to contract with every grower for all the cotton he proposes to sell to it, and this contract will call for 15 cents a pound—11 cents cash when the cot ton is deposited and the society’s 7 per cent debenture twenty-year cou pon bonds for 4 cents, together with one share of preferred stock and only one to each grower. The bonds bearing 7 per cent in terest the society proposes to cash upon demand and forfeiture of the interest. A fund is to be maintain ed from the sale of cotton at 15 cents plus carrying charges, to be sufficient to cash all bonds and stock out standing offered to the society at par. It is claimed that as soon as this is demonstrated the general demand for the bonds as an investment will ren der a great amount available for use by the society. To the holders of these bonds the society promises to lend not less than 80 per cent of their face value, in case that it is wanted. Have Some Capital. The plan, as outlined, it is argued that the farmers will, through the society, build up a capital of their own in four years’ time of $1,- 000,000,000.00 To safeguard the grower, the weighers and graders are to be bonded. A banking system is to be established at the same time the rest of the plan is put into oper ation, and the financial interests of America and Europe, it is thought, will be brought into such a position that their aid is assured. While the primary object of the society is for the farmers, it is de posed that the spinsers’ interests will also be conserved. The staple price is supposed to make the spinner de vote his energies to making his profit from a stationary price, and thus free him from the speculator. It is also stated that 15 cents is about the average price, and that the spinners are as much interested in the forma tion of the society as the growers. Hypotheses. The basis of the belief in the so ciety is that having obtained control under one head of a community in general demand that it will be read ily marketed at a uniform price. It is also assumed that the price of cloth will not raise because of the fixed price of cotton, because of the benefits accruing to the spinner from being delivered from the claws of the speculator. The middleman is to be largely eliminated by taking the county as a unit. WHO CAN GUESS? If a buzz machine that’s red or blue Costs a couple of thousand cash. And it costs some sixty dollars too When a big tire goes to smash; If a young man sits in the driver’s seat While the engines wheeze and throb— How soon will he get to Easy Street On a hundred-dollar job? If white chips are a V a stack And the hour is half-past two; If the boys have turned the clock- hands back And the limit is one blue; If the midnight oil holds out to burn Till the chips in the rack are low— Who’ll be the boss of the big concern In a couple of years or so? If the lobsters broiled are two for five And bubbles are five a quart; If it’s twelve o’clock when the guests arrive For a couple of hours of sport; If the host gets twenty-five a week When they lead in this merry sport— Whom will the bank directors seek When the cash in the till is short? If a tip on the race is good as gold. And Mr. Younghub knows He can pick off a couple of hundred cold To buy those new fall clothes; If he stakes his pay-check for a guess On the horse who will draw it down— Who will wear the last year’s dress Instead of a new fall gown? If cash comes in at five a day While ten goes out again; If lights burn bright on the Great White Way, And we just wake up at ten Or eleven o’clock p. m., and lead The boys in the merry dance— What kind of new laws do we need To give young men a chance? —J. W. Foley. EDUC.ITIONAL AGENT. In accordance with the policy that has been recommended by the Na tional Educational Committee, and adopted in all the other State Unions, the State Council of the North Caro lina Farmers’ Union, at the meet ing held recently in Raleigh, author ized and instructed the State Presi dent to appoint an Educational Sec retary for the State Union. Prof. W. C. Crosby, of Charlotte, has been appointed to this important position and has signified his acceptance. He is now preparing a circular letter outlining fully the policy and plans for conducting the Educational De partment of the State Union. This letter will be mailed to all County and Local Union Secretaries, to all County Boards of Education, and to all the public school teachers whose address can be obtained: the pur pose being to enlist the interest and co-operation of all the educational forces of the State. The Educational Secretary takes the place of the Educational Com mittee of the State Union, and, un der the direction of the Advisory Council and State President, he will assume entire control of the educa tional work to be prosecuted by the State Union. The Farmers’ Educational and Co operative Union, as the name indi cates, is an educational organization. This branch of the Union work is of even greater importance tha^ the co-operative feature, since it is nec essary to educate our membership along certain lines before extensive co-operation can be made successful. It will be the policy of the State Union to emphasize the importance of the right kind of education; that is education for efficiency: efficiency in production, efficiency in market ing, efficiency in distribution, effici ency in co-operation, efficiency for our girls in domestic science and art and home economics, to the end that our women may be better equipped to fulfill their God-given mission of happy home-makers. Efficiency means power to produce the result intended, adequate fitness. Any system of education that fails to develop this power in our boys and girls is a faulty one and should be reformed. Co-operation wdll be demonstrated by the practical application of united efforts to various business enter prises. The purposes and scope of the Carolina Warehouse, incorporat ed, will be fully explained and sub scriptions to stock solicited. With the large membership of the North Carolina Farmers’ Union, there is no reason why we should not have one of the largest and most successful corporations in the State. Any coun ty or Local Union desiring subscrip tion blanks, or blanks for incorporat ing under separate charter, can ob tain them from the State Secretary. Let all members watch the lists of appointments of the State officers as published in the Union Farmer, with a view to assist them in completing itineraries in adjoining counties. Fraternally, H. Q. ALEXANDER. Matthews, N. C., June 10, 1912- SURE SIGN OF liOVE. “Does he love her?” “Does he love her? I should think he does. He’s promised to march with her in the suffragette parade.’ —Washington Herald. “It is the duty of every one make at least one person happy dur ing the week,” said a Sunday-school teacher. “Now, have you done so. Johnny?” “Yes,” said Johnny very promptly. “That’s right. What di^i you do?” “I went to see my aunt, and she’s always happy when I home.”—Answers.
The Carolina Union Farmer (Charlotte, N.C.)
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
June 20, 1912, edition 1
2
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