New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1873-10-04

have reduced their prices to $50.
METHOD OF COOPERATIVE BUYING
The manner of conducting tins cooperative buying
is very simple, although to insure it neces
sary to place il in the hands of competent and honest
men. Mr.. J. ID. Whitman, the State Agent has his
office ut Des Moines, and is the principal manager
He gives bond of $4,000 for the honest and faith
full performance of his duties, and receives a small
salary In each county of the State there is County
Agent who may also be placed under bonds, if the
Oranges of the county think il necessary. The
State Agent places himself in communication with
manufacturers and wholesale merchants, learns the
terms which they will sell their goods to the
Oranges, makes contracts with them when il is de-
sTable, and informs the Oranges by circular of the
prices &c Orders may then be given through either
the State OF County Agents. All orders must be
accompanied by the cash to pay for the article de-
sired, and certificate from the Master of the Grange
that the purchaser is a member of the Order. The
State Agent receiving money credits the remitter
with the amount his books specifying the article
to be purchased and sending him a receipt. He at
once forwards the cash to the manufacturer or mer
chant, and then debts the purchaser with the
amount RENTED. The goods shipped directly
from the manufacturer to the purchaser, but the re-
ceipted bill is sent to the State Agent who files it
away as his voucher. If the goods are imperfect
not good as have been contracted for, and the
seller refuses to give the purchaser satisfaction then
the Grange transfers its entire trade to other
firm. man who was furnishing the Grange with
plows last Spring, sent few that were much nfe-
ror to the sample circular was sent 10 all the
Oranges informing them of this fact, and III less
than a week orders for that pillow stopped, and the
man has not sold one to Grange in the State SINCE
JOINT-sTOCK STORES ESTABLISHED.
The State Agent always gives preference to home
wa nj or
manufacturer of any kind can furnish frst-class
goods as cheaply as they can be purchased at
Chicago, st. Louis or New-York, the Grange gives
him its trade, but its motto is TO buy in the cheapest
market which ready cash Will command. In some
sections of the State the members OF the Grange
have established joint-stock stores, and have thus
been able TO purchase their groceries and dry goods
much cheaper than before. This has not been gen
orally encouraged by the leading Changers, except
in where the local traders have refused to deal
with them on what they considered fair terms. The
great bulk of the home trade in this State has been
done on credit and the farmers who have remained
solvent have had to pay not only fair profit on the
goods they have purchased, butsomething in addition
for the time that has been gwen them, and to make
up for the losses of the traders by bad debts Now
the members of the Grange who propose to pay cash
for what they buy, think that they ought to have
their goods cheaper than before. Some of the trad
ers have admitted the justice of this claim, and have
made satisfactory terms, but Others have refused
Where no terms could be made, the Changers have
been forced to establish their own stores. Their
plan has been to divide the stock into shares of $40
OF Sl5 so that each member of the Order can afford
to own one or more shares. The goods are then all
bought and sold for cash, an advance of per cent
on the cost being charged. At Waterloo, where a
store of this kind has been established the farmers
find that they obtain better articles at less prices,
and that their stock pays them good profit The
average sales in that store, since its establishment,
have been SIP day, considerable portion of it
coming from the railroad shops situated there.
METHOD OF COOPERATIVE SELLING.
But it is not alone 10y cooperative purchases that
the Changers hope TO money. They have not
only bought their goods credit, and therefore In
the highest market but they have sold their crops
AT home to mddlemen for cash. and therefore in the
lowest market. They now hope, by cooperative
selling to get better prices for what they raise than
they have hitherto received. Until quite recently
such a thing as shipping his own grain to Chicago,
OF any eastern market, has been almost unknown
among the farmers Whenever any of them have
attempted it they have often been swndled so badly
that they have lost all confidence in commission
merchants. One of the first steps that the Grange
took was to select commission house of the high
est character in Chicago, and another in NewYork
and make them its agents. Each of these houses |
has given bonds to the amount of $4,000 and |
agrees to receive everything that is consigned to il
by the Grange any of its members, and dispose of
it to the best possible advantage, taking only one
per cent for commission. Since this arrangement |
has been made, many of the farmers have shipped |
their own grain, and the Chicago agent has been |
able to sell it for them the cars upon which it
was originally loaded, thus avoiding altogether ele
vatOr charges and the cost of trans-shipment. The
prices thus realized by the farmers have generally
been several cents bushel better for grain than
those offered at home, although the railroad com
panies have given them no special rates
ELEVATORS ESTABLISHED BY THE ORANGES.
In order 10 take advantage of Favorable markets |
the Oranges have established at several points in
the State elevators and warehouses of their own |
In some places these warehouses have been built by
two three prominent members of the Order; In |
others the stock has been divided into small shares
and is owned by great numbers of the farmers The
plan of conducting the business is the same in both
cases. If the farmer prefers to sell his grain out
right and get the money for it when it is delivered
the managers will pay him the highest price the
state of the market warrants; if he IS willing TO
take the risk of the market, they handle his grain
for him. sell it, and return him the proceeds for
commission of cent and half bushel This
makes the farmers almost independent of middle
men between them and Chicago or New-York mar
kets. If the price offered for their grain is not
in their judgment enough, they are not
obliged 10 sell it at home, but can
ship it themselves, feeling perfectly sure that
they will be honestly dealt WITH will have to pay
no exorbitant commissions and will get the best
market price. At Waterloo about 100 miles west
of this city, an elevator was established by the
Grange about nine months ago. the stock being held
by great number Of farmers. Grain that has been
shipped from that point both to New-York and
bas the Dsiderahly