MEMBERSHIP RELATIONS OF COOPERATIVE ASSOCIATIONS 27 
TasLe 24.—Replies to questions as to amount and kind of information made 
available to their members by associations—Continued 
ie na <-ta S 
Members reporting 
Question and reply Association 
Total 
£514 we 3 4 | 
Does it contain the information you want? Number Nurfber Number Number Number 
StS 3s ait Te ee Ss 37 45 82 72 | 236 
pepeennege eee PSE FE Sa Fe epee Rat) _ 2 17 | 25 | 16 16 74 
[OS ee ae SR eS Ce eee. Sarees eS no 15 | 8 2 25 50 
wo ee a Ned ae At a SO ate a Cele ae pS ieee ett re oy tee ae 15 
a 
21) TET lalate ioe nae ele eieet Bier Sse Se ee ae 84 78 100 113 | 375 
What changes in it would you suggest? | 
ce EE ial els mann 2 at tn 40 51 | 77 81 | 249 
More detailed information.___.........5.-..-----..--.-.--- 14 7 17 | 23 61 
ge Babe tk eee Ro i | s3/* 94/1 104 310 
The house organ appears to be received by nearly all members. 
Their replies would indicate that it is very generally read, that it 
contains the injormation desired, and that most of the members have 
no changes to suggest. Among changes that were suggested were 
such items as, “* Report sales and prices,” “Tell what they are 
doing,” ** More business news,” “ List of officers and salaries,” “ Put 
cost in plain figures,” “* Make final statements clearer,” “ Less propa- 
ganda and more information,” “Give facts, too much bias,” and 
“ More facts.” 
CONCLUSIONS 
Low prices prevailing at the time, the hope of market or price 
control and the hope of eliminating the middleman were the 
reasons that many farmers joined centralized cotton and tobacco 
associations. 
Many members believed their associations were not functioning 
as they might because of insufficient control. They believed this 
insufficient control was due to lack of volume. Economies in opera- 
tion arising from a large volume of business were insignificant in 
the minds of the members when compared with the benefits expected 
from market control. 
Members generally believed the associations had helped the non- 
member growers. In the tobacco associations, the belief was preva- 
lent that the nonmember had benefited more than the member be- 
cause members had been obliged to carry over a part of their crops, 
whereas the nonmembers had been able to sell on the open market 
at a favorable price maintained by the activities of the associations. 
The members of the cotton associations believed the nonmembers 
had profited by better prices during the period of heavy marketing 
because the associations distributed their sales throughout the year. 
More than half the members of the four associations believed 
price fixing on the basis of cost of production could be achieved, 
if the associations had sufficiently large membership; but one-half 
