ANALYSIS OF TOBACCO GROWERS ' ASSOCIATION 23 



the beginning a well coordinated and efficient internal administra- 

 tion. Being organized in three States and handling five more or less 

 different varieties of tobacco made the problems of management 

 still more complex and difficult. 7 The separation of the field-service 

 department in Raleigh, N. C., and the administrative office in Rich- 

 mond, Va., resulted in lack of contact and sympathetic understanding 

 of the problems connected with the maintenance of membership 

 morale. The administrative office at Richmond was on the edge of 

 the association area instead of being centrally located. The associa- 

 tion was so large, so far removed, and so indirect in its relations to 

 its members that it was cumbersome and failed to respond to their 

 wishes and needs. The organization of five separate pools and ware- 

 housing corporations was a most extravagant and complicated set-up. 

 Failure of the association to obtain delivery in eastern North Caro- 

 lina from the beginning raised the question of the advisability of 

 having one association to handle so many different types of tobacco 

 and covering such a wide and diverse territory. The association was 

 put to a great deal of expense in purchasing warehouses in this ter- 

 ritory and in employing warehouse and field-service officials to try 

 to build up the morale. It would seem that the association would 

 have been a great deal more successful without this territory. In 

 fact, it would probably have been better had five different associa- 

 tions been formed, with a federated organization to which could have 

 been delegated such functions as were of common interest. Under 

 such a plan the failure of any one district would not have had such 

 an adverse effect on the other districts as when all districts were 

 closely united under one association. 



MEMBERS' RESPONSIBILITY FOR FAILURE OF THE ASSOCIATION 



A very important factor contributing to the failure of the Tobacco 

 Growers' Cooperative Association was the lack of support and assist- 

 ance given to it by its members. This lack of support and assistance 

 was felt by the association in two ways: (1) In the failure on the 

 part of many to deliver any or all of their tobacco to the association, 

 and (2) in the failure, either through inability, inertia, or unwilling- 

 ness, of the majority of the members to take an active and helpful 

 interest in the operation and administration of their association. 



Much of this lack of member support and assistance was invol- 

 untary; part of it was voluntary. In many instances the members 

 were not in a position to deliver their tobacco to the association 

 under the policies and conditions under which it was operated and 

 were not fitted to be helpful in aiding it in its problems and diffi- 

 culties. Other members who, through their financial conditions, 

 training, business ability, or experience, could have assisted the or- 

 ganization through delivery of their pledged tobacco and through 

 acts of loyalty, advice, and constructive support, either became pas- 

 sively inactive and disloyal or became actively injurious through 

 their acts and speech in respect to the association. The following 

 pages show in more detail to what extent the members were responsi- 

 ble for the failure of the cooperative. 



7 Figure 8, page 15. 



