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Show THE PROBLEMS OF MARKETING Why the Cooperative Marketing Market-ing Association Is Worthy of the Support of Everyone No. 9 (Contributed) Another problem of marketing if whether or not the organization which has been formed to market your produce is worthy of your support. sup-port. Your association was formed in the hopes of meeting a desperate need; of providing a steady, adequate ade-quate income, of capitalizing our resources, of keeping our men and young people at home where they belong. It is no sane man's philosopny that we can be happy in poverty, or that we should be deprived of the comforts of life, yet many families in our Dixie receive far too little money, even for the necessities of life. The leaders of the county have long been aware of this problem, and have sought earnestly and faithfully faith-fully for a solution. The answer seems to be in united, concerted, intelligent in-telligent effort, in cooperation and organization, and in faith in ourselves our-selves to obtain what we believe we ought to have and can have. The cooperative association you have formed is an effort in that direction, direc-tion, with aims solely for your benefit. bene-fit. If it does not solve the problem what can we do? What a tragedy that our men leave home to work in the mines and at other undesirable occupations, occupa-tions, that their wives must stagger stag-ger along under the added work and responsibility, that their boys roam the streets without the influence, discipline and companionship of-their of-their fathers when they need U most. This situation is deplorabl? wherever it is found, but it is no less than tragic in our own county because we could keep our men at home where they could make mora money and be happier and more contented. Is it anything less than shameful that men go struggling along, using us-ing the same methods they did 50 years ago, going grey under the worries of how the debts and taxes (Continued on page 3) THE PROBLEMS OF MARKETING (Continued from page 1) will be paid, when instead they might divert their attention and energy en-ergy into the more absorbing occupation oc-cupation of starting a savings account ac-count and seeing it grow? Do you know that if the people of the county had faith enough in this venture, within five years a cooperative association could be shipping 500 carloads of produce annually, an-nually, which would bring in half a million dollars? Do you know that that added amount of money each year would transform our county? That the too prevalent attitude at-titude of despondency and despair would be replaced by one of pride and hope and enthusiasm? That we would be a happier, more contented content-ed people? That it would mean our young people could look to Dixie and not away from it for their homes and their work? Do these things mean anything to you? You think these are dreams? Then it is because you have lost faith in yourself, in your fellowmen and in your county. You have so long been beset with discouragements that they have overpowered you; they have shut out the light and the hope that can be yours if you will rouse yourself your-self and have faith enough in this cooperative attempt. Cooperative agencies for the farmer farm-er were mere shadows a decade ago, but shadows of something great and wonderful and powerful which were destined to grow so rapidly that even their supporters could not adequately ade-quately appreciate their power and opportunities. Do you realize that already a third of the farmers of the United States belong to cooperative cooper-ative associations, that the idea of cooperative marketing for farmers claimed the time and attention of both "our state and federal legislatures legis-latures in their last sessions, that the whole nation is taking a deep interest and beginning to think in terms of cooperation, thp.t a great natirral agency has been created and that some of the greatest brains of the country are devoting all their energies to it? Are you aware that the "urge to merge'' is sweeping the entire country, and that it is reflected re-flected in the chain stores, and the great consolidations in every phase cf business? Why can't we keep up? Why must we forever be behind? What are we her: for? What do we want out or life? What do is need that we haven't got? What other ingredients d' we need in this mixture of life which would result in happiness and success? Can you name any of them we couldn't have if we made a united, faithful effort to go out and get them? Of course they won't come to us, and they shouldn't if we don't care enough to take the initiative The modern slogan is no longer "Everything "Ev-erything comes to him who waits," but it Is now "Everything tomes to him who goes out after what the other fellow is waiting for.'' What single venture in the world could mean half as much to you as real, honest-to-goodness support cf your cooperative association? Be honest with yourself and face the facts. Is there enough faith, enthusiasm- and industry in you to get behind this thing? Do you want it badly enough to see to it that you get it, or are you ready to admit that you are not master of yourself, your-self, that the supporters of this association as-sociation are not justified in having hav-ing faith in you, that you do not look forward hopefully to the future? fu-ture? To make a cooperative association succeed, the spirit of cooperation must be a real, vital functioning force in all the innumerable and intricate in-tricate phases of the process from selecting the seed and preparing the soil on down through until each member has his just share of the proceeds in his pocket. We must become be-come awake to the fact that every person in the county must keep on his toes, must shake off the lethargy leth-argy that delights to creep upon us when we show the slightest signs of weakening. We must admit to ourselves that we have been in a rut, and in a deep one. Each of us must see where the rut is, and try to make a new path which will steer us clear of the old. It is so easy to slip back into the same old, familiar famil-iar ways where the resistance is not so strong, and we do it many times when we think in our own minds we are still on the road to improvement. improve-ment. All the problems which are arising aris-ing with our association are merely challenges to our character and ambition. am-bition. In overcoming them we will become welded into a strong unified, uni-fied, understanding whole. In letting let-ting them overcome us and in thinking we have seen the true situation sit-uation when in reality we have" only scratched the surface, we are beaten before we start, and at best can only forestall for a short time the days of doom, disappointment and disaster. Are we awake to the situation, situ-ation, and are we big enough to meet it? The answer rests with you. |