The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1902-06-20
GRANGE DEPARTMENT.
Conducted by w. r. Alexander. r. r.
D. No. q, Owosso.

D. No. q, Owosso.
To whom Correspondence for the department
should be addressed
COUNTY GRANGE CALENDAR.
Owosso Township: First and third Tuesday
in each month at 80 p. m; Richardson's hall
Owosso.
New Lothrop; Second and fourth Tuesday
afternoon in each month.
Bennington First and third Saturday after
noon in each month.
Hazel Green: First and third Friday Of each
month; Henderson.
Burns: Every Tuesday evening, Knaggs'
Bridge.
Union: Each Alternate Friday evening
Chspin.
COOPERATION THAT PAYS.
From American Grange Bulletin:
When cooperation is profitable every
body likes to have share of the profits
when it is improbable few are willing
to pay portion of the losses. And this
is not remarkable-nen being human
and more or less selfish. Perhaps it
were better to say they were merely
short sighted; for when we take long
look ahead we discover that what we
call unselfshness is the wisest kind of
looking out for Number One. Yet it is
real misfortune that so many who are
glad to receive the benefits of associated
effort are very much afraid they may
be called upon to pay the legitimate
price of such benefits.
While it sometimes happens that CO.
operative enterprises fail because of lack
of competent leadership and loyal sup
port, it sometimes happens that men are
wise enough to look beyond temporary
and incidental losses to the larger bene-
fits that are sure to be the result of as
ISOLATED effort. A press dispatch from
Greedy. Colorado, gives an example of
what should oftenes happen; it says:
"a meeting of the Northern Colorado
Produce Company was held here this
afternoon for the purpose of arranging
to pay off the Indebtedness of the COM
pany, which was done by the hundred
stockholders. all farmers, paying the
debt and taking as security the COM
pany's note at six per cent for five
years.
Now, this company, like nearly all
wisely managed cooperative associa-
tons, exists for two purposes-to secure
for it members the best prices for their
products and to succeed as pure bust
ness venture. In this case this year, as
a business proposition this organization
would seem to have been a failure
The mere fact that the stockholders
paid the company debts is sufficient
evidence of failure. But there is more
to be considered than appears on the
surface. Apparent failures may be
genuine success, if we will but look
deep enough. The item quoted shows
that the stockholders paid the debts of
the company. That fact alone is to the
lasting credit of the farmers who paid
debts they could not have been COM
PEELED by law to pay. We happen to
know that the business management Of
the association was unfortunate; yet
misfortunes come to the most experienced
business men; so this can not be accept
ed as proof that operation is fail
ure."
We have considered only one side of
this matter, and that the least impor.
tant side. 1t is proper to look for divi
dends and not for assessments; but
dividends are secondary in cooperation
the primary object is to make money
and save money directly by selling
proftably and buying to advantage.
The Greeley association handled more
than $50 car loads of potatoes, by
studying the market it saved thou
sands of dollars to its members. TIL {
losses which could be figured to cent
and made the excuse for saying that
farmers are not business men, did not
amount to tenth of the gains, which
no one can estimate with exactness.
And the greatest gain Of all is the final
victory of manhood and the triumph OF
the principle of cooperation.
We might give other examples Of sue
| cessful peration-examples of gen
uine success in the absence of dividends
A lesson in mutual helpfulness is worth
paving for. Theman is more of man
after sacrificing money to principle
he is less of man after sacri
ficing principle to money. Moral OBJ
legations are superior to financial OBJ
legations even though only the latter
can be enforced by the courts. A cult
waited spirit of brotherhood is worth
more than an increased bank account.
The man is more, infinitely more, than
the dollar. Cooperation that helps mel
to nobler living is better than the kind