The Goodland republic. [volume] (Goodland, Kan.) 1891-1907, 1902-05-02
SAYS COOPERATION WILL PAY.
Continental Creamery Company
Adopts Cooperative Plan.
President J. : Parks Explains System
AdOPted-IOre Production, More
MOney-BOOn to Dafrymen
of Kansas

the country are rapidly coming TO &C
kOwledge the fact that the interests of
capital and labor, being 50 close and de-
pendent, one upon the other. must be
conducted on liberal lines rather than 10
a spirit Of competition. Events of recent
occurrence show that the great organi-
cations 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 indi-
viduaI concerned. This sort of religion
is being preached by the greatest fnan-
ciers Of the country and of the world
and indicates the natural trend of bust
ness along a sane and sensible basis.
II Kansas one Of the greatest indus
tries has been organized uPoa these
lines. The Continental Creamery com
psny on January adopted plan Of CO.
operation with their patrons on large
scale. Their business had been fairly
lucrative under the old system, but the
right and prOPriety and also with the
knowledge that with the mutual good
viii engendered by the profit sharing
idea, their business would grow more
and more rapidly. The arrangement.
however was a rather hazardous expert
ment. 1t has now been in progress
about three months and on being asked
as to the result, Mr.. s. Parks, presid-
ent Of the company. said:
Our profit-sharing plan is rapidly
proving itself an unqualified success.
The more generally it is understood the
more popular it becomes. The plan is
very simple. The prices we pay for but
ter 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 run
ming expenses of the skimming station.
This expense runs from One-balf cent to
five cents per pound, according to the
amount OF milk received at the station.
1t takes about the same labor and ex-
peBse to manufacture 20 600 pounds Of
butter as it does to make 100000 pounds.
If we receive 10000 pounds of milk per
day at 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 decrease in the cost
per pound for handling and the patron
gets all the saving. Under this arrange
ment, 1t Is my expectation that when
matters get settled down to an even
basis, our patrons will be getting regu-
larry 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 aud His Sister, the Help
fuI Hen and other good things of the
farms are getting more and more at
tentiOn, but the Humble Cow is rapidly
proving herself the greatest money maker
Of them all.
go operation Is not 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
prof able outlet for the product. The
capital was small, the market variable
and the field limited Co operation was
the prey Of other interests and could not
defend itself.
"Whatever has been lacking to make
the cooperative idea a success; what
ever was needed to bring the profit
sharing business to a permanent and
paying basis, the Continental Creamery
company has supplied We are able
with our larger facilities, grasp of the
market and immense avenues Of outlet,
to dispose of every pound of our product
at a good price, while if we were smaller
or broken up into little companies, we
could do little or nothing.
"We have been accused Of being an
octopus and Of attempting to control the
market. want to say that it is impos-
sible 10 form creamery trust in Kansas
unless every farmer IN the state should
Join it. A concern such as We have or
gained necessarily holds only one end of
the string, the farmer holds the other.
Each is dependent upon the other and it
Is the fttest thing in the world that the
farmers should Join hands for mutual
benefit. It is the ambition OF the CON-
panY to make the business so profitable