Ladysmith news-budget. [volume] (Ladysmith, Rusk County, Wis.) 1907-1927, 1911-03-10
FARMERS MUST COOPERATE
SAYS ENGLISH BARONET

mat IN organization of every branch
of agriculture along cooperative lines
is to be found the key to complete sue
cess in American farming, was the
substance of an address delivered by
Sir Horace Plunkett, the noted Irish
agricultural economist and member of
the British parliament, before the
members of the Wisconsin legislature.
The title of the address was "The
State, the University and the Farmer.
THE legislature and the University
of Wisconsin, acting in cooperation,
have to their credit already a. monu-
mental achievement in agricultural
progress, more progress than is being
made In any other state in the union
and perhaps in any other common
wealth of the world" declared the
speaker, "but there is still a weak
spot in your rural economy, which ex-
lists throughout the area dominated by
urbanized Anglo-Saxon ideas. The
remedy for this belongs rather to the
sphere of organized voluntary effort,
than to state action. But where the
state with profound wisdom is dealing
with these problems through this great
center of thought this state univer-
sity-the initiative should be taken by
that institution
COOPERATION NOT TRUST-BUSTING
1.-The weak spot in American. as in
English, farming is not so much in
technical methods as in business organ
ization. The farmer complains, and
complains rightly, that his industry is
thwarted by combinations and trusts,
and he is constantly calling upon the
legislature to clip the wings of his bus
mess rivals. Something, no doubt,
can be done for his protection, but /
hold it to be true that it is not within
the competence of the state to place
unorganized individuals upon an equal
ity with organized interests.
Looking over the industry as a
whole, think it is quite safe to say
that at least 95 per cent of farmers
business transactions are conducted in
dividually without any trace of COM
bination with others doing the same
business. The failure of farmers to
combine in days when those engaged in
every other commercial industry and
and calling combine, when farmers of
every progressive country in Europe
have recognized in combination the
condition of economic survival, is due
simply to the fact that farmers have
not understood, and no one has thor
oughly explained to them the co-opera-
tive principle.
UNIVERSITY SHOULD TAKE LEAD
"a few men engaged in educational
work among the farmers should devote
themselves exclusively to trying to get
a few rural communities to reorganize
every branch of their industry upon
cooperative lines. When few mo-
dels have been successfully established,
the system will spread spontaneously
with little further assistance from the
government or the university.
Another important reason for pro-
noting agricultural cooperation is
that the organization, primarily intend
ed for business purposes, sooner or
later is applied for purposes of social
enjoyment and intellectual advance
ment. Country life must be made far
more attractive and this must be main
ly the work of those in charge of gen
eral education. So | say, alike to
those who regard agriculture as sci
ence, as a business, or as life, the re-
of a farmers business is
at the present moment the one thing
needed in order that the rural progress
scheme as whole may proceed upon
sound and successful lines.
In conclusion, may say that | re-
gard the upbuilding of the rural COM
munity as of first Importance to sane
and orderly progress of nation"