The Ward County independent., 1910-11-17
SUCCESSFUL
COOPERATION,
Upland. Kan., Possesses Three
Mutual Concerns.
FARMERS RUN EVERYTHING.

Probably and 0t small Coot-Ofh.
esrs Receive S2 . Day For Their
Labor.
A very interesting experiment In co.
operate is under way In Upland. a
town III Dickinson county. Kan. The
town itself is not large, but is the
headquarters of three successful mu-
tual companies-a telephone company,
an insurance organization and a mer.
camille corporation.
The town is on top Of the divide be-
tween the Republican and Smoky Hill
rivers and four miles from the town
of Aida. through which runs branch
of the Union Pacific railroad. A big
store building. telephone exchange
which also houses the insurance com.
pany. blacksmith shop. a town hall
and four or five residences constitute
the greater part OF the town.
The community idea took root some
time ago. A meeting of farmers was
called to take up the question of mu-
tuai Insurance. company was FORM
ed, and each farmer was constituted
an agent without pay to solicit new
members. 1t was decreed that any
time fire occurred an assessment
should be levied to make good the loss.
Six years later it had 24l members,
with $1GS0OO insurance in force. To-
day it has $500 members, with insur-
ance representing $4,OOO,OOO.
When the company started IN busi-
ness it was decided that 81 day was
enough to pay any officer, and that
amount has never been raised. This
Is paid only when the officer works.
The average yearly salary list Is about
$500, due to the simple methods by
which records are kept and the fact
that everybody pays his assessment
promptly under pain of being dropped
at once.
Later farmers decided to build a
creamery Then the advent Of the
farm separator caused 1t to be closed
up. as there was more money in sell
ing the cream to the central butter
making stations One day when a
number OF farmers were waiting for
their tickets from the creamery it was
easy to bring farm produce along with
the milk every morning. Why not
have store? Within a few days a
cooperative organization with capi-
tai of $25.O00 was formed. Only a
part Of this was used at the begin.
ming, but the store has been so profita-
BILE that the stock is quoted at $50
and the cash value Of its resources is
around $4,000
Once year the stockholders meet In
the town hall, hear the reports, de-
clare a good big dividend and elect
officers No one is permitted to hold
more than $1OO worth of stock. and
this entities him to one vote. By the
articles each stockholder binds him
self to sell all Of his grain and prod
uce to the Golden Rule company. which
is its incorporated name.
The business is largely done by cred
it. Farm produce brought In is cred
tied to the man who furnishes it, and
he is debited with whatever he buys
OF groceries and dry goods Cash set
Elements are made at the end of each
month.
but this is at Aida, on the line of the
nearest railroad. A few years ago
after a full discussion it was agreed
that as there was no hope Of the rail-
road coming to Upland the company
ought to buy Aida. 1t did. taking in
the elevator, stockyards-everything 6
except the towns name,
The telephone compahy serves over
1000 persons, most of them farmers.
1t is one of the largest concerns in the
state. 1t is purely mutual, with no
capital stock. and this serves to make
certain the retention of the control in
the hands of the farmers Fifteen or
twenty trunk lines radiate from the
store building in Upland
The officers contend that the success
no fixed rental is charged. each owner
of q telephone paying proportiOnate te
expense of operation and maintenance.
Each farmer must buy outright his
phone. These, it is insisted, must be
long distance instruments. They cost
about $40 apiece The cost Of becom-
ing stockholder-that is, Of making
. connection is SlO Thereafter he is
q stockholder. and all receipts from
tolls are credited to him proportionate-
H. The officers of the company are
paid only for the actual time they de-
vote to the business. The first years
cost is about $35. This includes in
shument. connection and dues. After
that the cost is about S5 year.
QuarreIs Don't Help tho Town.
Too many small towns exhaust their
energies in petty quarrels and local