44 CIRCULAR 10 0, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



stances should officials and employees be allowed to have any finan- 

 cial interest in a concern with which the association has business 

 dealings. Trusted and highly-paid officials have no right to exploit 

 their connection with an association to their own advantage. One of 

 the officials of the tri-State association was in charge of the sale of 

 all association tobacco. There was the danger that his connection 

 with the Edmondson Tobacco Co. may have made him less inter- 

 ested in the sale of green tobacco, for the more tobacco that was re- 

 dried and sent to his plant, the more profits would accrue to him and 

 his company. He may have made use of his strategic position as sales 

 manager to have enough tobacco diverted to the Edmondson Tobacco 

 Co. to have assured that the plant was kept working at full capacity. 

 Failure of the board of directors to employ a full-time executive, 

 with the necessary power and experience to coordinate the functions 

 of the different departments in a smoothly-working organization 

 from the outset, further militated against success. When the associ- 

 ation was organized the leaders had a fairly good conception of what 

 it should accomplish, but they did not have experience in any business 

 of a similar nature upon wliich to base their policies. They were 

 venturing into an uncharted and unknown field. It is well to stress 

 these points, for they must be faced when an attempt is made to 

 bring into existence, in a relatively short time, an organization of the 

 size of the Tobacco Growers' Cooperative Association. 



MEMBERSHIP POLICIES 



It is evident that conditions within the area would have made 

 success difficult in any event, and that in this situation the adoption 

 of carefully prepared plans of membership contact and information 

 regarding the purposes of the association was highly essential. 



FIELD SEEVICE 



Field-service men were employed to supervise the different dis- 

 tricts. They helped to organize local units, addressed local and pub- 

 lic meetings, visited individual farmers, and attempted generally to 

 promote the welfare of the association among the farmers. But they 

 were too few in number, and in some instances at least it would ap- 

 pear that the type of men employed was undesirable. At the same 

 time some were men and women of the very highest caliber. The 

 field-service department was under the control of a director of the 

 association who was an active leader in its formation. 



It is estimated that at one time the association had 1,800 locals. 

 The local units were of an educational and discussional nature, and 

 were formed to maintain the interest of the members, to teach them 

 the principles of cooperation, and to help to build a community 

 spirit. Some of these locals passed resolutions, many of which were 

 forwarded to the board of directors. Such resolutions undoubtedly 

 influenced the board in its policies, but it was not incumbent upon the 

 board to accept the views expressed or to take any action thereon. 

 Unfortunately, meetings of local units were generally not well at- 

 tended, and as a consequence locals in some districts were never strong 

 or active. They failed to reach those members who were most lacking 

 in knowledge of and loyalty to the association. A large proportion 



