The Kalispell bee. [volume] (Kalispell, Mont.) 1900-192?, 1902-03-26
Works Out a Perfect Success in an
Iowa Town.
A PROFIT OF $4,000 LAST YEAR
Report at the Close of the Thirteenth
Year of Operation Of the Rockwell
Cooperative Farming Association
Bucked by Trusts, They Neverthe.
less Survive.

The most successful cooperative
concern in the country, a statement
unquestion, is the Rockwell society,
organized by farmers, kept in exist
ence by farmers and managed by one
of their own number. 1t is thirteen
years old and it's growth has simply
astounded every student of economy
who has studied into it's operations.
It is the most extensively advertised
concern in Iowa, or any one of the
western states, and it is not uncom-
mon to have special representatives
of the metropolitan press of the east
and special writer's of magazines visit
the concern and write intelligently
ABOUT it.
1t was born out of adversely with
parentage of necessity. That is the
way the promoters view it. Hon. N.
Densmore, a former representative of
Mason City in the state legislature,
was the prime mover in the organiza-
ton, and it was his plans and his
shrewdness which carried it through
the nrst three years of it's severe life.
The plant, consisting of a dilapidated
elevator and few old sheds at Rock
well, had no sooner been purchased,
than merchants, manufacturers and
all competing concerns tried to kill
it off. The railroad did not care to
foster anything that seemed to an
tagonize the merchant, and they made
it disagreeable in securing cars. The
implement men over the country
formed a combine against the Rock
we'll cooperative and refused to buy
of any wholesale firm that would sell
to them.
Every grain buyer within radius
of sixty miles tried to outbid them
in the price of grain, and this caused
the membership to weaken, as many
or them have. The directors took all
these matters under advisement, and
they resorted to the laws of the state
and openly defied the implement men
to do what they threatened to do
When the other elevators gave higher
prices. the question arose what could
be done? They were organized for
the purpose OF. securing higher prices
for grain, and they did not want to
prevent the farmers from getting al
they could. They reasoned that the
only thing which caused opposition
to give these prices was the presence
of the Rockwell Cooperative. If that
should step down and out prices
would go back. And so the directors
agreed to present to the society {
proposition for their acceptance OF
rejection.
1t was that every member SHOULD
be accorded the right to sell grain o,
stock to the highest bidder provid
+ ing they we're willing to pay into the
society one-fourth per cent per bushe
on every bushel of grain sold else
where, and 8 cents per pound OF
every pound of hogs sold to othe
buyers. A complete schedule of thi
kind was agreed to. 1t was reasoned
from this that the society could maxi
it go il they never bought a bushel o
grain or a pound of stock. The entir
association agreed at once to this new
proposition, and it has helped the Sc
ciety over some pretty Difficult
PAGES.
A few members of the society al
tempted to sell, and not make an az
counting of their sales to the associs
ton, but it was soon discovered an