Greene County herald. (Leakesville, Miss.) 1898-current, 1910-12-02


vATORS IN THE MIDDLE WEST.
was established This was located at
Rockwell. Ia. and was known as the
Rockwell Cooperative Elevator COM
pany. The conditions in the grain
ttrade at this time and even up to
within the last half decade were such
that the farmer was held up unmer-
cifully. There were two classes of
elevators-the line companies and the
independents. Nearly all of these
were banded together in the form of
state associations In several states
the officers of these state associations
fixed prices arbitrarily, sending out
price cards to the members every
morning. These were based more on
the competition in the locality than
upon the market demand for grain
Finally most of the competition was
done away with, except in form by
pooling combinations. The different
elevators in Il town paid various rates
to keep up a show of competition, and
at the end of each month the profits
were divided. Thus it made no partic-
ular difference which elevator did the
business.
1t was to escape such cutthroat
methods that the Rockwell Co-opera.
tive association was organized. From
all sides advice poured in upon the or
ganizers of the new company. They
were told that the place for the farm
OF in, hiS Gnl1- fhot l,,,c;
would better be left to business men.
The farmers went doggedly ahead,
subscribed stock and put up on Gle
vator. The Grain Dealers association
sought to crush them by competition,
but the founders had provided for that
They had inserted protection clause
in the constitution which compelled
each of their members to pay the Assoc
citation onefourth of cent for each
bushel of grain sold to a rival COM
pany. When the line company offered
more than the farmers were able to
pay they got the grain. But the one
fourth of a cent bushel was turned
pany to pay expenses.
Since that time the cooperative idea
has spread throughout the middle
western states until nearly every town
has its cooperative elevator. There
are at present nearly a thousand co,
operative elevator companies in the
,-iddle west. They do business ag-
gregating hundreds Of millions of dol
lars year. They do it at cost to the
farmers. SO far this cooperative ele-
vator movement has helped the con-
sumer only Indirectly When the grain
reaches the markets 1t is turned over
to the terminal elevators. Here it is
past the farmers control. The rest of
the way to the consumer is through the
same cumbersome, expensive system
from which the farmers escaped by
cooperation. One big leak comes in
the lack OF federal inspection at these
markets. Low grade grain comes in
and high grade grain comes out. The
consumer pays the bill, and the ter
minal elevator men grow fat on the
proceeds. .H
1t is but a question OF time until co,
operative. companies will handle the
grain from the time it leaves the
grower until it, reaches the consumer
When system like this is put info
working order and the discriminatory
freight rates that favor the large cities
are done away with the problem of
getting the products from producer to
consumer at least expense will be
solved. Whens an eastern feeder or
miller wants car of corn he can have
1t billed direct from a cooperative rs.
ISOLATION in Kansas. 1t will go throu~h
no expensive terminals, and expensive
loading and unloading will be dore
away with. a -~
The system Of cooperation VIII i
has been worked out by the most
progressive of the farmers elevator
companies insures to the farmers cv
cry cent that their grain is worth Tie
manager buys as close to the mark -
as he can with safety. At the close cf