J. Onus Powell was General Manager of the Chickasha Cotton Oil Mill from 1942 -1953. During this time he also operated several cotton gins in southwestern Oklahoma, Texas panhandle and eastern New Mexico.
In a taped message Mr. Powell made the following statements about the oil mill:
"When WW II came along, managing the cotton oil mill was a big problem. They would take my people into the military service. It was hard to keep people. It was hard to keep the mill going. The government took over all the products we made. They were some of the main products needed for the war. We made two cuts of cotton linters. The first cut was used in mattresses and cars. The second cut was very explosive because of the high cellulose content. I could only sell what the government would let me sell. I could only get the price the government approved. It became very difficult to serve the ranchers and the people I had always served. I couldn’t give them the seed they wanted, and I couldn’t sell at the price I wanted. Everyone in the country wanted to get a cow or calf. They wanted to feed it out, because they had a cinch on a profit. But there wasn’t that much feed. After the war, the union arrived from New York to organize the employees."
also see article on
The Hollis Cotton Oil Mill
