The Bad River news. [volume] (Philip, Stanley County, S.D.) 19??-1912, 1908-08-20
A Wore A'2Sat the Creamery
prOiec. 4

think it well TO fully canvass the
situation before any definite steps
are taken. That it is possible to
operate a successful creamery here
there is no doubt. if the matter is
thoroughly investigated and pro-
perly understood in the beginning.
The subscription of funds for the
building and eYulpping of the
creamery is one Of the least of the
things to overcome, and we hardly
expect any great difficulty along
that line. But as all this only
comprises the preliminary steps,
it will be Of no avail as real
thing of benefit. Unless the
creamery can 90 ahead and con-
| sumo the products. which it will
4 be built to consume, ana can DO
this at a rate Of profit that will at
least pay all running expenses,
the money and time taken to build
and equip the creamery will be a
practical loss. That this has been
true in hundreds Of instances, |
know of my own personal knowl-
edge; and in many cases where an
enterprise of this kind has failed
as a cooperative creamery, indl-
viduals have purchased the plant,
and have run it at profit. And
right here is where we touch the
first of the difficulties to be under
stood and overcome in a co-opera-
tive creamery project. The simple
reason for the failure of the CO
operative creamery and the success
of the individuals under exactly
similar conditions is jealousy and
selhshness, stockholders being un-
willing to accept less for their
cream or milk than some other
stockholder is getting irrespective
of the quality Of the milk or cream
he is furnishing. This l believe
to be one of the most frequent
snags the creamery boat has fouled
on, but one that is easily overcome
when thoroughly understood when
the company is formed. With
proper laws governing the buying
of cream and an operator who
understands how to buy so that
each man receives Just what his
cream is worth to the creamery,
no more and no less; with proper
rules governing the purchase of
milk or cream, and an operator
who understands both making and
disposlng of the butter and other
by-products of the creamery; we
have but the one thing to over
come to guarantee a successful
business and that is the amounts
of cream that can be obtained,
which is the vital thing in the life
of our creamery. Very few
creameries run on their full capac-
ity, and when as is often the case
they are compelled to run on half
or less of their capacity, it is only
a matter of time until they are
forced to close their doors. So it
behooves US to canvass this matter
thoroughly, as to what we may de-
pend on in the quantity of cream
we can secure. There is no ques-
ton of there being ample range
and plenty of grass to produce
product enough for the full capa-
city of a much larger plant than
will be run at Philip, but the ques-
tion is, will this grass be utilized
by the settlers for that purpose;
are there enough men who will
make it a business to justify the
building of creamery here at
Philip! That there is no line of
farm work that will pay better
there is no question, but it also
means a close attention to the
work, requires some one to do the
work who will be on hand night
and morning of every day in the
week, also regular trips to the
creamery at least three times each
week, or some one to gather the
cream which will hardly be practi-
cal here, and q close attention to
the work to make it q success.
But there are many things Of
great advantage to the settlers in