Graham guardian., 1908-05-29
KEEP UP THE COOPERATIVE
CREAMERY

A visit from Prof. Hacker of
the Minnesota Agricultural College
last week brought out the fact that
the cooperative creameries are in'
creasing IN number and Influence
in that state. This is encouraging
Cooperative dairying is the bedrock
of the dairy industry. Only by 1t
and through it can we secure that
degree of influence in Congress
and legislatures that Will bring
the enactment of just laws. BY
means of the creamery the farmers
were reached and induced to make
their influence felt in tn" passage
of the National OleomargariDe
law. One of the greatest makers
of oleomargarinc has already es-
tablished several large centralizers
in different states, 1t is deep
game and the farmers do not seem
to see IT.
When once the big packing
house interests have got the
farmers divided aud their coopera
tive crea cries destroyed, they can
handle them then to their hearts
content. TO reach the farmer then
and arouse him to needful political
action will be u work so expensive
that il will not be undertaken and
so they will have no direct influence
on the law making power. That
is evidently what the big oleo
makers are after. And how will
they accomplish 1t? By the use OF
the farmer himself. They count
on his being so short sighted, so
lacking in sense of his own dan
ger and so unwilling to unite in a
cooperative way for his owe pro,ec-
ton that they can tempt him to
destroy his own citadel, which is
the cooperative creamery.
"Divide and Conquer" is their
motto. Their estimate of great
many DAIRY farmers is. entirely
correct. They know that the
average COW farmer does not read
enough TO keep Informed as to his
own rights. his own profits, bis
duty or his danger. They can
handle such men easily and make
them serve their own purpose.
One Of the oIeo men said TO us
when the fight was going on in
Washington, that he didn't see
how we ever got the farmers stirred
mp enough TO unite in their de-
mand for the law. 1t was a
great task and the National Dairy
Union could never have done IT
but for the local creamery. ,.-~-
1t is all nonsense to say that the
ceutruiizcr can pay u penny more
in an homes, way for the butterfat
the farmer has to sell than the
local creamery company ifit is con-
Quoted with any sense and nnder-
standing.
So iE tins deep game We have
brains, great capital and deter
mina,ion TO control the dairy in.
dustry on the side ofthe centralizer
aud oleo makers, and on the side
of the farmer, Willingness to be
made cats paw of to do it, If he
can Just now get little more for
his cream. 1t is like the man who
set fire to bis own house to warm
himself by the beat.
In summing up the advantages
of the cooperative creamery, Il. H.
Slater, Dairy and Food Comm's
siouer Of Minnesota, whore there
are 700 of these institutions, says;
/. 1t insures every cent ofprof'
to the farmers,
2. L, encourages better quality
IN the output.
3. 1t encourages better methods
on the farm.
4. 1t encourages the building
up of home industries.
5. II teaches the farmers that
they are business men.
6. 1t makes better locality in
which to live.
1t makes u wonderful difference
on any community Of iarmer'
whether these points of encourage
mept are carried out or whethe'
they live in condition or tendency
10 the very opposite,-Hoard''
Dairymap.