The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1910-03-13
TRULY COOPERATIVE TOWN
UPLAND. KANSAS. ms THREE
HRTG w. C0NCERN>.
FarHsers R1R Their Gan IRsnraac- q SE,-
PAM. stOre and TrtrphSne service
An PrSatalsle anrs 40 N.- auR ~
SaaaM ENpense -eeuleerx G.eI ~ Day

NeNNeNgN NV NRe-ab wan NtaNufutaa-e osN-
PAM. stSre and TrtrphSne service
An PrsatalsIe anrs An Nsr auR 81
Saaall ENpeN@e DWleers Get ~ lSaS
An Interesting experiment M cuOrera
ton IL being successfully tried la ia" town
Of Upland. Dickinson county, han. The
town itself IL small lees than a hun
dr-d people claiming 10 an q home. u -.
however the headquarters of three sue
oesStul mutual companies, n telephone
company. an inslrHno" organization and a
mercantile corporation.
That part Of Kansas has beer settled
for nearly forty years. The first cou'~rS
Ner- Germans. who still form the larger
part of tie colony. Later came number
ruunity is made ny ~ farmers from In
diana and Illinois.
The town 10 on top Of the divide between
the Republican and Smoky w. y rivers and
four miles from the town ~ Aida, through
which runs u branch of th" Union Pacific
Railroad. 4 big s,ors. building 4 t~le-
phone exchange which also h"U-'-s the
Insurance company. q blacksmith shop. a
town hall and four or sive residences con
-titute the greater part ~ the town.
Tie community idsl took root during
10 Farmers Aliitnc.. DAYS. bac.: IA 1897 \
messing ot farmers IVES called Ia take ~
the question of mutual INSURANCE" \
Conpanv was iOrru..i and ZACH farmer
was conslItut II IN aErut Without pay 10
ss,lict new r."uth~rs 40 VAS d-Cr'ed
hat any time a fire o~,uIT''t an as.srSrn rni
Sl,uuld ~ lsVi~,i Ia make good III" loss
Sx years .atar it had 81 members. win
AIsS .,sE ,nsIran"- IN fore. To-day Il has
:. a. i,i.. nb-r-. W,th insurance represent
ing si.V1'-E
When th. rpmTIuy staTt's,t IA niIsine'-
u va d-c.d,.i that 81 a day Was enough
Ia paw any "fl"-r. and that amount has
nsV-r I.-,a RAISED This IL paid only
when The offi,--r works III. averagr
yearly salary li-i u about Ssao. due tn the
simple r.thu.i- 10y which records are
Kept and the fart that everybody pays has
a--e s-u..nt promptly under pain ~ l''ing
Dropped al once.
la Isas the farmers d..c,ded 1" build
a creamery Later the advent VI the farm
separator caused q IT, b- closed up. a.
there was more tnonry ia -''lhng the cream
Ia th- central batter making stations.
tine day when q numi-r q farmers w-rs
~ai,ing for 'h-,r tickets from the cream
@rr - was suggested that Il would b~
lust a. EASY ~ bring farm procure along
With TIA. milk every morning. Why not
have q StuT-s within a f~w dave = coop
crafty. organization With n clpital Of
S1S.O WIS formed. Only u part II th-
was u-.-i ~ the beginning. but the store
has b.-~n - profitable that the stock
u quoted at SiS0 and the cash value IL
} u resources a. around 81 ,Wsl.
Once a year the stockholders meet
in the town hall. hear the report- decisSe
q koOd biS dividend and elect officers
No one j. U~rmittsd Ia hold mofe thHH
SIOl worth oC stock. and this entities han
to o.. rsts b. the articles each stock
holder iuh- hin-.f e. s~il all ~ hir gTa4n
.rc prc duo. - the U"ldsn Rule Company.
which l. 49, - nurpOTatet name
The tstsin-.- T. largely done NV credit
Farm produce broughg IA ~ credited -
the man v hu furnishes u. and he l. debitsd
with vha'ever No h'tvs 4 gruc~ri~s and
dry goods. tHsb -.s'tl~U-ntz are mat"
at the end ~ each month
TlIe tOmpany owns gram elevator
ln,t this l. AZ AlIa 81 -, line II the n~ars-St
railroad 4 few years ago after tul!
disNtIzsIon q Was agreed that as there
Was no hope 81 ia" railroad coming Ia
Upland she company ought 10 bay AHA
II did. taking IN ,ha elevator. stockyardS,
everything except ia" towns name.
The tslsTh0n~ company serves over
Z U.s., persons most oT them farmers. u
T. Or.. of rho larg~-' concerns in the state
Ii A. purely mutual. with no capital stock.
and this serVrN 10 make certain the re-
tentinn Of ~. control IN Oh" hands " th"
farmers. Fifteen pr twenty trunk lines
radiate from ths. ~inus building in Upland.
The idea wac hroachrd AZ a township
meeting Tho thrifty Germans were AZ
first disinciinsd Ia the experiment but