Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1911-08-16

ahAhLN THOCaANO COOPERATIVE ELE-
VATORS IN TIE 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
trade 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 an 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 % 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 a town paid various rates
to keep up a show of competition, and
at the end Of each month the profits
were divided. Thus 1t made no partic-
ular difference which elevator did tie
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
er was in his fields and that business
would better be left to business men.
The farmers went doggedly ahead,
subscribed stock and put up an ele-
vator. The Grain Dealers association
sought TO crush them by competition,
but the founders had provided for that
They had inserted q protection clause
I'm the constitution which compelled
each Of their members to pay the asso-
citation one-fourth 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
into the treasury of the farmers COM
pany to pay expenses.
has spread throughout the middle
western states until nearly every town
has its cooperative elevator. There
are at present nearly thousand CO
operative elevator companies in the
middle west They do business ag-
gregating hundreds of millions of dol
lars a year. They do 1t at cost TO the
20 g. IL
vator movement has helped the con-
sumner only Indirectly. When the grain
reaches the markets IT fs turned over
TO the terminal elevators. Here 1t 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 cqmes n
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
mtnal elevator men grow fat on the
proceeds
It IS but a questina IF time until CO
! operative companies Will handle the
grain from the time II leaves the
grower until 10 reaches the consumer.
When a system ike this is put into
working oulel and the discriminatory
freight rates that favor the large cities
are done away with the problem of
getting the products from producer TO
consumer n least expense viii be
solved When an eastern feeder or
miller wants a car OF corn he can have
IT billed direct from cooperative as
ISOLATION In Kansas. 1t viii SO through
no expensive terminals, and expensive
lQading and unloading VIII be done
away with. Esq., : s-e,c,7ssz1s-~