United labor bulletin., 1910-11-17

dron, having connected with it grist
mill. seed house and cotton gins.
Quite a number of fruit selling enter
prises are conducted. The sales through
the central office of three counties alone
has gone as high as s5OO,O00 in season.
The cotton warehouses have made
many sales of cotton from the ware
houses, in lots of fifty to sixteen hun
dred bales
Arkansas also has union banks, and
the majority of the other banks of the
cotton. This state was one of the found
ers of the successfully conducted cotton
company at Memphis, Tenn
California has numerous union enter
prises. The California Farmers union,
incorporated, of Fresno, with capital
of $250,00O, the stock held only by mem
bers of the Farmers union, acts as the
buying and selling head for fourteen To-
cal interpretations, in the Santa Clara
and San Joaquin valleys; and is rapidly
extending it's business, and will event
ually do the business of the entire mem
bership in California
The local incorporators own the ware
houses and fruit packing plants, while
the central company does the selling
and buying for ALL
The members of the Farmers union
company, they are packed in the local
houses, and dssold by the central company
| to the trade throughout the United
States and Europe. The company was
organized on the 23rd of April, 1909,
and has in one year done a business of
over 100000. 1t sells raisins. prunes,
dried fruits, nuts, honey and canned
fruits, in any quantity, from 100 pounds
| to car load.
The Imperial Valley Farmers Union,
incorporated, and the Coachella Valley
Farmers Union, incorporated, are doing
profitable business for their members in
successfully handling cotton, hay, fruits,
melons, etc.
Georgia owns its own phosphate fac
tory, and 600 acres of phosphate land,
owns it's own implement factory, and has
1874 warehouses. Through its state busi-
ness agent it supplies its membership
with staple goods of every kind at a
great saving Buying flour sometimes in
train loads, and saving hundreds of thou
sands of dollars on fertilizers. 1t has a
cotton company, selling direct to spin
ners, and negotiated loans on cotton
amounting to three million dollars. The
state union has established II agricui-
tural schools and secured a reduction in
the passenger railroad rates from 8
cents to 2, "a and 21s cents per mile.
| Its enterprises are signally successful,
being out of debt and having comfort
able surplus.
Illinois, as a state, carries the name
of being the greatest ard most prosper
GUS state in the Union, and yet her
farmers, feeling the oppression of the
gamblers INSCRIPTIONS methods, were
compelled to organize in defense of their
rights, profits and liberties. The Farm
ers' union of Illinois is at this time con-
Quoting general cooperative business,
embracing everything the members have
| to buy, and many things they have to
| sell. This has saved the members of
the union in this state, an average of 25
| per cent. on their purchases, not to men
| ton the great amounts made on their
sales through this channel The system
has handled during the last six months,
| from White county alone, 40 car loads
of cattle and hogs. at a net profit of SIS
to $125 per car. AT Gazing Rock, with a
capital of only $40, the local union did a
business. in poultry and eggs last year
| of $1,000, gaining profit of 40 per cent.
over prevailing prices. This county
! shipped the same season 10000 bushels
of corn in one week.
| Idaho: The Panhandle of Idaho is in
cluGed in the Washington jurisdiction.
All enterprises are organized under the
Rochdale system, and have number of
warehouses in operation.
/ Indiana: The state union, through the
cooperation of county business agents.
| is supplying its members with imple-
ments and staple articles, and is mar
keting both farm products and live stock
successfully. Elevator companies are be-
ing chartered and systematic business
methods perfected for the benefit of the
membership.
| Kansas: Osborne county deserves the
l l.,,<x Il. ~f tr1~s &I.
operative way in Kansas progress. The
Osborne County Farmers Union Coop
erative association. organized and char
tered under the law, with capital stock
of $4,000, is conducting business at Os-
borne, Downs and Portis which has in
creased the price of wheat to the farm
ers Z cents per bushel, and at the same
time reduced the price of flour to the
consumer 80 cents per barrel. They also
handle oils. coal, lumber and salt. In
| the past year they have sold sc cars of
coal, 16 cars of lumber and 10 cars of
fence posts, the posts being sold and
shipped by an Arkansas union enter
prise. They ship kerosene oil and gaso-
line in tank car lots, running wagons to
adjacent towns to supply the local trade
and have almost entirely shut the Stand
ard Oil people out of that territory They
also handle all kinds of farm machinery
DuBRltss WdSOUS, elcp Uceueu ny Tile
farmers. They are handling everything
the farmer has for sale. and every staple
needed in conducting the farm.
This is simply a part of what one
county is doing. and there are several
counties in Kansas conducting equally
as large a business. The IS cooperative
associations of Kansas are at the end o1
the business year, declaring dividends OF
from 10 per cent. to 20 per cent. 1t also
handles most of the grain produced
through its own elevators, and is con
ltemplating building mills at such points
| as business demands.
Kansas owns her own newspaper
which is furnished to members in good
standing, and fully realizes the great
benefit she has received in building up