The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1902-04-12

ganiza tiOns of the future will be built
on the idea that the interest of each
part is the interest of all and that some
portions Of the profit should be shared
in some way directly or indirectly,
among every Individual concerned This
sort Of religion is being preached by the
greatest hnancierS of the country and OF
the world and indicates the natural
trend of business along d sane and sen
gible basis
In Kansas one of the greatest indus
tries has been organized upon these
lines. The Continental Creamery COM
Dany on January 1st adopted plan OF
cooperation with their patrons on
large scale. Their business had been
fairly lucrative under the old system.
but the new was adopted in recognition
of its right and propriety and also with
the knowledge that with the mutual
goodwill engendered by the profit shar-
ing idea, their business would grow
more and more rapidly. The arrange
ment, however, was a rather hazardous
experiment. 1t has now been in prog
feSs about three months and on being
asked today a. to the result, Mr. j. 5.
Parks. president Of the company, said
Our prOfit-sharing plan is rapidly
proving itself an unqualified success
The more generally 1t is understood the
more popular it becomes. The plan IS
very simple. The prices we pay for
butter fat are absolutely out OF our
hands. We have arranged matters so
we cannot control the price. We base
the price every day upon the New York
market, paying always two and one
half cents less than the quoted price.
Then we ask the patron to pay the
actual running expenses OF the skim
ming station. This expense runs from
one-haf cent to five cents per pound,
according to TIE amount OF milk re-
ceived at the station. 1t takes about
the same labor and expense to manu-
facture 10000 pounds Of butter as 1t
re-
ceive 90 900 pounds of milk per day at
a station it takes very little more labor
and expense to handle it than if we
were receiving 1000 So the running
expense of the station is in the hands
of the patron. He gets all the profit
gained by the greater quantity of milk
received. With every pound of milk
received there is a corresponding de-
crease in the cost per pound for hand
ling and the patron gets all the saving.
Under this arrangement it is my ex-
pectation that when matters get set
tied down to an even basis, our patrons
will be getting regularly only three
cents less than the New York market
price The farmers of the west are
gradually coming to see that their
greatest profit after all is not from
their fields direct The Horse Useful
the Beef Steer and His Sister, the Help
full Hen and other good things of the
farms are getting more and more at
tention. but the Humble Cow is rap
Z
maker of them all
-Co-opera ton is not a new thing in
Kansas Cooperation in the creamery
/ business dates back decade or So But
the plan has failed more times than it
has succeeded. Wherever it has failed
the fault has not been with the manage
ment, or from lack of support but from
the fact that there was no surety of a
profitable outlet for the product. The
capital was small the market variab BILE
and the field limited. Cooperation was
the prey of ether interests and could not
| defend itself.
Whatever has been lacking to make
! the cooperative idea success; what
! ever was needed to bring the profit
/ sharing business to a permanent and
/ paying basis. the Continental Creamery
company have supplied. We are able
with our larger facilities, grasp of the
market and immense avenues of outlet
to dispose of every pound of our pro-
duct at a good price while if we were
1 smaller or broken up into little COM
panies, we could do little or nothing.
I'VE have been accused Of being an
octopus and Of attempting to control the
1 market I want to say that it is impos-
sible To form a creamery trust In Kan
/ sas unless every farmer in the state
should join it, A concern such as we
have organized necessarily holds only
| one end of the string. the farmer holds
i the other. Each is dependent upon the
other and it is the f1ttest thing in the
world that the farmers should join
! bands for mutual benefit. 1t is the am
| bition Of the company to make the busi-
| ness so profitable that In time the far
cents less than the New York market