Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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[DOEShNOT BELIEVE IN CO-OPERATIVE MARKETING Several of our subscribers have asked us to publish some anti-co operative tobacco marketing news. We have clipped two items from The Southern Tobacco Journal which may be of considerable, interest. One is by the 'editor of the above journal and .the other one by a tobacco man who is now located in Belgium. The Southern Tobacco Journal of -.fers no 'apology for the position it is taking in the matte: of the Co-opera 'tive Market, as' apphed to leaf tobac e We- believe 'that we are doing the tobacco farmer a favor in warning. him against a proposed plan that we 'honestly believe will if put into opera tion of work to his disadvantage. Not only this, but if the proposed plan should be put into operation, the en tire business interest of the tobacco centers of the country would be em barrassed. It is a matter of surprise to us that bankers and other business concerns do not realize the serious "ness of the pt. .osed proposition. Since announcing our position in this matter, and stating our objection to the plan as affecting the tobacco in tprest we have received many letters of endorsement of our position-and "hundreds of tobacco farmers have talked the matter over, with us. We find also that bankers and others who are interested are anxious for all the information they can get. In our is sue of week before last, we endeavor ed to present facts in connection with the propbsition. Our editorials were 'extensively copied and we were-forced to issue several hundred copies ex~* tra, which were promptly taken by those seeking information. We have rece.. ly come into contact with hund reds of tobacco farmers who are anx ious to know what all this thing of the tobacco Co-operative Marketing: Plan means. We believe that we are stat ing the truth when we say that not more than 10 per cent of those with '-vhom we have come into contact are in favor of the plan. In fact many with whom we have talked, who have signed the five year contract, are -an xious to be released from the obliga tion. We want to say again, and we want to say it iwth all the emphasis at our ccommand, that, we are not influenced in our position on account of any per sonal. interest. Those who know us best know that we have nothing to .'ose ,nor nothing to gain. Now let us address a few remarks to our far mer friends as well as others who should be interested in their welfare. You are called upon, gentlemen, to enter into an agreement with some one (God knows who). This agree ment is supposed to bind you for 5 years. In this agreement you agree to pool your tobacco. That is you place your tobacco in classes with 'hundreds of others. This tobacco is then prepared for market, re-dried, etc. It is then stored and buyers in vited to inspect, etc. Then you deliver your tobacco to be classed. You are told that you are to receive 60 per I cent of the value of your tobacco, and the remainder, or what, is left after it is sold and delivered. Of course yuo know that out of the tobacco that is sold yo uare to pay your propor tional part of the cost.of grading, re drying, packing, insurance, taxes, etc. They tell you that expert men will at tend to classification, valuation, etc. Well now stop just one minute and estimate what all this will cost. The1 -expert grader, the expert appraiser, the expert re-dryer-the expert this and expert that. With a complicated system of bookkeeping-and then a great loss in weight. You know that there 'will be a bill of charges that will stagger you. Now think again: What manner of man is he, who can p~ossibly place a value on tobacco in advance ? Did you ever think of this ? If not think of it seriously now. No human being can tell ijvhat the prices of tobacco will be from one season to the other-and in the face of this fact, these piromoter's tell you that. you will receive 60 per cent of the value of your tobacco. Now comes the proposition of fin ancing the proposi tion. Naturally those who can furnish the money will want to know howv it is going to be applied-and believe us-they are surely going to know. D~o you believe for one minute that banks or the Gov ernment will loan money to pay for tobacco on a valuation that would in all probability he out of reason. And then again-it is going to take mil lions of dollars to pay other' expenses. We will leave it to you to tell us where it is coming from. Another thing gentlemen, and that is, if this great scheme should he put into op cration-those who are stock holders (and every man who stores tobacco is a stock holder) become speculators or dealers in leaf tobacco. Suppose the concern has several million pounds on han (dto be sold. There are only a fewv buyers who cut a big figure. The tobacco that is for sale is of course put up in hogsheads, redlried, etc. One of these big concerns wants the to bacco handled and re-driedl in its owri way-andl so do the others-andi the result is that in all probability none of the tobacco is handled to the sat isfaction of a possible piurchaser. Going back to the grading proposi tion where several hundred farmers pool their tobacco to be classed. Now gentlemen, honestly9 do you for a mo meat believe that there are a set of men on earth that can classify tobac co to the satisfaction of all concern ed. These are only a few of the diffeul ties, but there are others. Farmiers as a cl'ass are no different from all oth era in that they need their money when they earn it. It will be a sad day fo r'many poor farmers who work hard all the year, who goes in debt for his fertilizers and other supiplies, when he Is forced to wait indleflnitely for a big part of his tobacco money. Now come on gentlemen, and think of this matter seriously, Did it ever occur to you that it would have b~een fairer to the farmer if this contract had been for one year Instead of five. Why is this five year business'? Think of ite-investigate thoroughly-and Swhen you do, you will discover "tbe nigger in'the wood-pile." Do yan believe for a mnInuto that BACK GIVES OUT Plenty of Manning Readers Have Ths Experience. You tax the kidneys-overworl them-. They can't keep up the continua strain. The back may give out-it ma' ache and pain; Urinary troubles may set in. Don't wait lonFr-take Doan': Kidney Pills. Manning people tell you how they act. Ask your neighbor! Mrs. C. M. Taylor S. Boundry. St. Manning, says: "About a year age I wss troubled with kidney com blaints. I had terrible backaches anc Ifeadaches. Nervous spells upset m( and my nerves were just a wreck. ] felt tired and languid and I sufferet from dizziness. Finally I heard aboul Doan's Kidney Pills and bought som< at Arant's Drug Store. I can cer. tainly say Doan's did me a wonder. ful lot of good and quickly relieve( me." Price 60c, at all dealers. Don't simply ask for a kidney remedy-gel Doan's Kidney Pills-the same thal Mrs. Taiylor liad. I Foster-Milbur'r Co., Mfrs., Buffalo, N. Y. a man will come from his home it galifornia to help the tobacco farmer unless he expects big pay? Do you be lieve that, men who are active in th business are working for nothing You are not fools and you know bet ter. We are frank to say that we believ< the Co-operative Market Plan 'as ap plied'to nearly all farm products is a good thing. We believe that the plat is a good one, when applied to suel things as farmers' produce, for imme diate and *direct consumption, bu when it comes to leaf tobacco, all fair minded men must agree that th Auction System of selling leaf tobac co is the best way. The fact is gentlemen, the bes friend the tobacco farmer has is thi Warehouseman. The tobacco ware houseman stands between the buye: and the sellor, and as he gets his pa, from the farmer, it is his duty-to se that his patrons receive the best mar ket prices. The . tobacco farme makes his crop, gets it in good shape takes it to the market, places it o the warehouse floor, where all buyer; can see it-and when he is suppose< to receive the highest market prices The farmer gets the market price fo his tobacco for which he receives cast on the spot. This system is all tha can be desired--and the very best an< fairest way of selling leaf tobacco Now gentlemen, listen to us; Just a certain as any thing can be, the pres ent system of selling tobacco will con tinue. For. a while there may be a de parture on the part of some from th< Auction System. Those who enter in to the five year agreement will regre their action and those who refuse t< be led into a departure from the oh way of selling tobacco, will certaitl:; be glad of their, action. To the business men of the tobacc< centers of the tobacco producing sec tions we suggest, that they look int: the proposition which is pending. few men are putting forth every of fort to destroy a system of sellin, leaf tobacco which would if auccessfu work a serious injury to some of the most pPogressive towns and cities o the country, and at the same tim would hurt the farmer, whq want: ill he can get for his tobacco, 'im( needs it when his crops is cured. - In conclusion gentlemen, what is al of' this thing about any way? Her( comes a man from California-ross ing the continent, 3,000 miles, and a: he comes he could find in some sec tions through which he came, cort being used for fuel, oat meal sellin for 25 cents per bushel, potatoes rot ting in the fields and farming condi tions generally bad. He leaves all o this and conmes to wvhere grazing i: good. Hie lands in the tobaceo prio ducing sections and proceeds to or ganize tobacco farmers, when in fac tobacco is selling, and has for som< time been selling for good prices Taking the quality of the crop int< considleration, tobacco is selling thi year for big prices. Whenever a far mer offers any thing that is at all (Ie sirable he is satisfied. Then why al of this muss about the tobacco farm er. Now you can find "the nigger ii the wvood-pile." Mr. Poe, editor of the Progressiv< Farmer, tells you about what they are doing in Canada and Maryland D~oes lhe knowv that Canada produce: but little more tobacco than Stoke: and Rockingham counties combined and that the Canadian tobacco is en tirely different from our tobacco. An so in the Maryland tobacco, the larg or propoi~tion of which is taken b) foreign markets. As we close this article we are re. ceiving letters and telegrams from al set ions endorsing our position.--Th< Southern Tobacco .Journal. ANVERS, BELGIUM, LETT1ER By Edward Nyssens In Western Tobacco .Journal I enclose herewith my letter in parn to one of my good friends aind custo mers I nthe Stahtes, which might be 01 interest to your readlers. From your letter and~ from other in. formation I see that the Pool is going to be a success-in so far that 75 pei cent of the crops will most likely be p ledge-but when this is (lone th< ardl ask is only going to begin. Tro make ca pool that is surc to win is to make money-it must have th< entire control of the crops and b< strong enough to hold them until th< buyers are forced to pay their prices Will te Pool be strong enough t( (10 this? As far as the finer grades of to. baccos are concerned; bright and dIarl Plug wrappers, bright Burleys, frag. rant bright tobacco for Cigarettes of the best brands, good spinners and perhaps a few other specialties; thor is a possibility that they mayr succeed and they can only! succeed if they arc wise enough to fx reasonable prices For these grades of tobaccos tha'ugh, there is no needl to make Pool for', actually the- demand ii strong enough to comamand higi prices, I dare Bay even highe prlcci than they could reasonably expect to bake. It is simply a question of offer and demand and when the demand is strong and the available quantity small, as it is the case just now, the open competition is far better than the strongest Pool. When it comes to common tobaccos though, the question is very different, because the manufacturers of com mon tobaccos will use any grade, as long as it is cheap; and the quantity in sight of common tobaccos is that large that I don't see the possibility of any concern, whetler it be a Pool, Trust or corporation of any kind to control it 6ntirely. Your people lose out of sight that the bulk. of common tobaccos has to be exported and they don't realize that, in that respect, they have to compete with the common tobaccos grown all over the world. My exper ience of the tobacco business is that the Worlds trade will work the com mon American tobacco if t.hqy are to be had the same price as the "home grown tobaccos" an dthose that they can get from the different producing centers. In other words, the export trade is not bound to buy the Ameri can tobaccos, but contrary to what is the case to the highly protected American tobacco trade that forces the American manufacturers to work only American tobacco; the export trade has at its disposal the tobacco produced in the whole world and it dos and will always buy and work the cheapest first. Besides the stocks of common tobaccos held in the U. S. you have little or no idea of the im mense stocks of common tobaccos still held in the Filippines where the bulk of the last two crops is unsod yet, of the stocks of South America to baccos, Paraguy, Rio Grande, Brazil, the Domingo tobaccos, the Javas, British India, South Africa, Algeria, Chinese and Oriental tobaccos, etc., not to forget the Home grown tobac cos of Germany, Austria, Italy, Switzerland, Belgium, Holland, France and even Spain. All of these tobaccos are on the )open European markets and even worse; large quantities of these to baccos are still in the hands of the banks who are eager to sell them at any sacrifice. It is certainly very natural and very respectable for your farmers to love and look out for their interests, but I fear that when it comes to Pool their crops and impose their prices, they are and will make a mistake. Your farmers ought to be better educated as to the quantities that the world really needs. I mean what are the quantities that the world legiti mately needs or demands. You have behind you two bumper crops of about 1,500,000,000 pounds each these two crops were even too large to fill the empty warehouses of Europe4 for notwitstanding the large exports of 1919 and 1920 and the de creased exports of 1921 there is quite a surplus left in the States and all European warehousese are full, I dare say more than full. England has now a stock of 376,000,000 pounds of raw tobacco in its bonded warehouses, whereas in 1918 htere was only 115, 000,000 left. This means that in two years England has imported 260,000, 006 pounds of tobacco in excess of its ' onsumption and its actual stock represents a quantity large enough to cover the whole consumption of Ewig land for three years. The stock in other European coun tries are perhaps not so large, still, it is a certain fact that all of the bonded -warehouses of Belgium, Hol land, Germany and other European I countries are full of tobacco and that, at the same time, the crops of most of the European and Oriental coun tries are large and are steadily in creasing. If your farmers, or better said the Pool knewv this, and if they were wise enouigh to use for manure all of their common stuff that sells .after all 'be low the cost of production: and spoils the market of honest ,tobacco, they . would conme to the natural result to have a fair sized crop of only clean goodl tobacco that wvould be sure to find its place at fair prices. This year's crop is again of *some 1,000,000,000, pounds. 'rhis quantity is more than suflicient to cover the needl of the Americani factory, say about 600,000,000 pounds and leave a good Isurplus of some 400,000,000 for export which is more than sufmcient also. If this surplus is going fo be com mon stuff, thmen the Pool may and I dlare say wvill, find itself at the head of an immense stock of common stuff for which there is no market any where. If the big four go against the Pool, and it seems to be their intention to doC so--they are in a finer po(sition than they ever were. They certainly have on hand a stock of 01(d tobacco to last them easy twvo years, they will alwvays be able to get quite a quantity from the mndependent planter so that they wvill be able to hold out for qluite a length of time and leave the bulk of the crop) on the shoulders of the Pool. The Marylandl people had quite an exp~erience of it and if my informa tion is correct, they have to sell now at some 7 to 8 cents, tobacco that they could have sold1 at 25 to 30 cents sonme fifteen months ago. At the same time the Marylands of last years crop now in the hands of the indlependlent trade sell at fancy prices; because they arc the gradle of tobacco for which there is a dlemand. My sympathies always go for the farmer and I really wlsh and like to see him make good prices-which is no more than well (deserved returns for his hard and steady labor-and I always pity the poor fellow that gets Iless money for a crop that takes fully a year of expense, hard work andl tioub~le (I mean manuring and culti vating the soil, sowving, lalnting, hoe ing, suckering, topping, cutting, haul ing in the barn, dIrying, striking it (down, sorting, tying, taking goodl care of it at all the time lhe brmngs it to market) thain for common hay that is cut down by machines, dIried in the sun and sold on the meadow or brought to market with no more trouble than to pres sit down in bales. When you look at it in this light, It stands to reason that sound clean tobacco ought always to bring a fair price, but when It comes to common musty, sandy and damaged stuff, It -"" ---rage i1we C. L. Strauss Company, 9 Dugan St., Sumter, S. C. MR. FARMER: We handle all your Farm Products, such as POTATOES TURKEYS CUCUMBERS HAY TOMATOES CORN BEANS OATS CHICKENS . PEAS EGGS VELVET BEANS And in fact anything that the farm produces. This is your headquarters and you will be welcome. In a short time we will have for sale SEED OATS, MIXED FEEDS, and other commodities that you' purchase. Phone or write us for market quotations and get our prices before you buy or sell. "A word to the wise"---Do business with C. L. Strauss Company, Phone No. 693, Sumter, S. C. ought to be looked at and treated as work. lie said that he probably would ment in such a manner as it manure. and should never be allowed use them to reach the North Pole (eem best. We will be Pleased, there to spoil the floor of a decent Tobacco should his plan to drift past the pole fore, if you will kindly furnish us Warehouse. with the ice pack prove not feasible, not later than February 28, 1922, ad This is what the "Pool" ought to A wireless equipment installed aboard dressed franks for the 900 quart pack understand and if he does he may be the Maud will be used to broadcast a ages of cotton seed made available sure that real success is in the end. message when he eaches the top of for your constituents. I see that I have just written you the world. quite a letter and hope I am not Captain Amundsen expects to strike Respectfully, taking too much of your time to read immediately into the outward or Chief of Bureau. it. northern drift of the ice as it leaves I see that Cincinnati has opened Bering Sen next spring, and to swing again; when a boy in 1876, I was a with the northeasterly current early NOTICE OF ELECTION clerk in the office of A. C. Lamotte, in the summer. Ne York, and in those days Cincin- With the explore . v. he C.pt s nati was the Trobaceco market and wve a Witnsiig m tewoSte fSuhCrli, did quite ap1, extensive business there sol thssle"n h ot ee onyo ilasug through W. G. Morris, Auetioneer aindlC lniegne' r I .Se-I eKns e wm ~ang tobacco b)uyer. In those days also thedusiettofhe xeiin;wo Istit "Western Tobacco Journal" was start'- Nreinaitr n r~ fsxNTC SI RI GVN ed under the management of Majot'br ia aie h ondteMu hi rt'i o re indb Manson. i 90 h lcrbe..1.Bitn lr f In those (lays also the buyers on the ~Cuto'Cono la o ilas breaks in Louisville took their free AAINT IJALlII(E br (hmyonte 0hdyofa lunch in "Fourteen D~rops" and Stone Orn bug -Jn .-ectr . "'Y12.ArEhdinwlhe ed Face, which was Whiskey and Crab-A.Iuto il rbayitod eainth Ki:'tee wap laing aipple Cider.bili th Seae ti ek t (I)Iit t : aIudute4t dy'o These are old recollections of the aa vt h ony rrl pli' "lri,', 12, a Jh oe' time when the "Galt House" was the sse.I o ot h onysoeada 1 on' ~r Louisville Ihotel, and the pigs wVere mr hn$400frterrl~-S~(,t lc he ~ang on running loose in the streets.lieaditisteiIao th ne bil I5oii orh addrnae is Very truly yours,to uralepne. he ew lil ii. Edouard Nysse*ns. wudgv h ngsrt' o lh'f)l~tgai'tr'rlsud' AM UNDSEN S11IIbeImun.Pil ICEADY FOR)I TitllP- ~ ~laa oewoi ar Earth's Northern Axis Is Goal; Ves- 10 El)S tlBIE Alcinilae mut ie thr sel to Carry Airplanes and Radio peg ihteCek o'Cuto Set--Forced lBack Last Year. IIn .''rnrlgn ~ himsui onv .Ca i Sattle, ,Jan. 24t.--(Associated Press)Si:oftsewohntIiIthr hl s -Final provisioning and equipp)ing of Wihavw t(iceangtIei- ytistim wllotepaed nth the exploring ship Maudl, in whichteetine adiprvltye ofblts Capt. Roald Amrundsen, noted Norwe-ispoodtofrihec Th plssal 1( ttil I(8 gian explorer and discoverer of the Snti n ersnaieu otn 'lc .o a~ ily 'hur South Pole, will resume his interrupt- pouigtrioy~ih90 qatIt,12 n hl emi pt n ed Arctic expedition in May, is beingpakis fsedtecmn sesnItito'(1)ookP. .onhe ad c'ompletedl as the stout little ship lies Te'x fte~akg ssfiin a. Imida l l'efe h in the land-locked wvaters of Lake t rbeafre omk ai-Imngr hl ~oe~ Ioe h Union here. fcoyIrlmmr ra ftevr :Io oe alCutadthlt A smashed propellor ulade, lost inieyicoprsnwt otrvait th Voercied yeihtiiilt. the ice off the Northeastern Siberianisno grw inhslclt. tis Teruns fteeetinmste 2oast, last year forced Captain A mundthrfr demladial thtn fie vtbheCrkoCutofVi sea to bi'ing the Maud to Seattle for idvda eev'mr hn oeIinsugCutS . it ae repairs. When the journey is resumedIacgethn wlv (1) olck on t the vessel will carry four extra blades Afe codcig tIists if heT say olwng he lcto. so that a similar accidlent may causefamricovne thtte nw Teolwng reie irges f anly a temporary halt to the expedi- t'in i ieie't th on hei ti' 5 il l(ti . Plig Pac tioin. The Maud wvill carry provisionsaled gr ig, nIwilsbia.oh Cke' te,1.N (okr for seven years, although tihe explorer dtielne~r I i eut i c 'aiir,..N cezear ir loes not expect the trip to occupy crac ih isrcintgte miM~rze mlol e than five years at the most. WihsmpIbolpodcd ron tie 1oirg la -- .(' oiislaim Will Carry TWO AIrplanes qatpcae( ed h erit tre .A ic,(hin~rK i The most important of the Maud's ma vl r~net uns i ~wsii~ I.M .Ckr equip~menlt, in Captain Amundsen's etyz'wt n af uhlo 1 .BITN apinion, will bec the two airplanes, pul'se o i-atia tr.wt il'Ceko or ahased in Norway and shipped here nwvrit.Ti uniyi n'- o omnPesft iliiobr recently, and which will be unsedl in flyhnldji~rfvrarecni ony .C thle miaking of extensive geographie rm huderil nm t Ooncl iia '(,~C,1) 1 92 2 rind hrydrographic surveys for 1,000a dmaiktahl (n rtti )ils miles on either s~ie of tile vessel's cr el upy sfti't fr trac'k through the Northern seas. laeplnigtefloig ('51. N 'I(,0 il(H RG Trho primary purpose oIf the expedli- Ec akg fse ilh c tion, which Is operating under the auis cmaidb icli-gvn ul Iwl vt h Jde(fIro pices of the Nprwegian Government, ifrainieadn h ait 111bt 4r lrero o vo h is to stud~y the rmovemenit of the Arc-tie1e rte'sprifrassng2h lI (f Flram, 92at 1 Lie ice pack ,thec effect of ocean cur-th famriesalhig tonhsocckA .orLterof)ic rg rents, magnetic influences arnd otherfa'.asg ilirfo ThmsMleo p~henomena of the Polar regions. 'h lsrbtorwl ls nFb nrl io' Willl Wireless Victorymay 8,92. Ay pcae e-ihrdG Mle, The air planes ,Captain A mundseaannguclefoatrthtde dGadi. xpecs, wll e cigrea vaue i th sholl behistriutpla todrfy p the Dpole MnigS . Jtl 3 02