Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1886-01-01
|CO : OPERATIVE FARMING,

.LABoRING MIN FRoM sT.4SPAuL WEI
CONDUCT I Uo-oPERATIvE FARM IN
/ MILE LACE COUNTY. @ . .l= >=,7 a:
From the Pioneer Press $. s. "a 81 = L
/ About one year ago number of
members Of the organization ''the
Knights Of Labor coun,enced 10 seri.
ously advocate the scheme If carrying on
a cooperative farm. At the head of the
scheme was, J. Fl. Rankin, who. it is
we'll known, entertains the highest re-
gard for the priciple Of cooperation as a
practical solution Of many social ques-
tons. A cooperative farming association
was formed, and since then regular
meetings have been held and the schemH
has fairly prospered. " Regular articles
of incorporation have been drawn up and
and Reorganization in other respects
perfected. The capital stock OF The
corporation is fixed for the present at
$4,000. The government is vested in a
president, vice president, secretary,
treasurer, and board of directors: The
association have already secured one
township of land in Mile Laos county
with the refusal gilmore. A. payment on
the land has already been made. It is
PROPOSED to commence active operations
ia the spring. \ humber Of families
will move up, form settlement and
comrnence 10 clear. The land lies on
the shore Of the lake ANA is finely wooded
with oak, hard maple, walnut, butternut,
etc. One Of the first improvements will
be to establish saw mill. Tile whole
business will be carried on after the CO.
operation plan. Whatever work is done
will be paid for at established rates.
Whatever profits may accrue are shared
hy the stockholders. A part of the
domain will be set apart for the village
community, All of the produce and
products Of the farm will, Of course, be
in common, as the work is all performed
in common. There will be community
sore carried on on the cooperative plan.
Naturally all that is purchased by the
members of the community will come
from this store, and they will save to
themselves all that extra profit which in
ordinary cases goes to middleman and
privileged class who consider themselves
the aristocracy Of a country village by
reason of the undue gains of their
business. The plan of living in COM
munity will be an improvement on the
established rule among farmers of this
country Of establishing themselves upon
isolated farms. This will then be
social gain. The association will not
undertake to do too much at first They
are sanguine that by due care and
prudence in making the start they will
meet with abundant success. In time
the saw mill may develop into a stage
factory, for which the country has plenty
of suitable timber. 1t is pronounced to
be first rate farming land. A number of
families will go up to the Mile Laos
farm In the spring and commence work.
As to the nature Of the governm ent, it
will bs by the board of directors of the
association. The sale Of products, the
purchase of materials, the operation of
the store and otherpublic necessities will
be under the general management. All
disputes will be arbltrated and lawyers
will stand poor show. And by reason
of the fact that the members of the
association are sober, industrious people,
temperate and intelligent, there will not
be an especially good chance for doctors: ),
The stockholders are Of various national
tiles, none of them people Of large
means. 1t was not intended, indeed, to
be a means of speculation tor those who.
are already wealthy to further swell their
capital, but rather. d chance for good,
industrious; men, who desire to live
independent lives to improve their
condition. The gentlemen, like Mr.,
Rankin, who are furthering the scheme,
arc not sangnine Of prsducing an Utopia
But they are aware of what has already,
been accomplished on the cooperative
plan, and they see no reason why, with
good business management, there should
not be equal success here There is
nothing new ia the principle of action ].
It.. is identical with that IF the. CO.
operative cooper shops Of Minneapolis;
These are highly successful and prosper
Gus: Not one man ID ten who works it,
these shops has not huuse and tot 81 his
own. The same cannot be said Of the
journeymen ccupers Of the city. The
prosperous conditions Of the shops Il :
complete refptation Of the assertions
made at the comE encement Qf the
undertaking that The loop were not
capable 81 running the business part Of
this work ssw the farming schene Is
40 more communis site Is its character
than he cospet shops above name The
association rhich Is about q year old by
ias M uent ns tings has d HHlnass !
general hoylaigs 81 the priincipls Is
o Ia iiz.,, d ne - md
|lhsJ ~ TITS ilca lied ~ the ork
which & beioibs IsI 81 ne q ss, ,ot
saisd of siil az q M ii.s mi