The Caldwell watchman. (Columbia, La.) 1885-1946, 1911-08-25
HOW FARMERS MAY Benefit
Agricultural Cooperation Leads All
Other Lines Of Mutual Business
In This Country.

KNOWS mat the OrganlZatlOn Vi dh.
business depends upon cooperation
The necessary GOOD will between sell
er and buyer in order to transact
bargain, the necessary harmony be
! tween employer and employed in or
der to produce and handle goods, /:
l cooperation as far as it goes.
Where cooperation begins to dlmln
ish disorganization sets in, says
writer in an exchange. But what has
been known as cooperation for l4l
years, since the days of Robert Owen
is free cooperation. Free cooperation
is, of course, on the basis of mutual
aid and equal rights.
Agricultural cooperation of this
type leads all other lines of mutual
business in this country just as 1t
does in the rest of the civilized world.
Speaking more particularly, quarter
of all the cooperative societies in the
world among people of 25 languages
are agricultural companies. France
leads. but the United States is making
steady progress in this department Of
mutual enterprise.
Observations of the working of rural
cooperative societies throughout the
United States led President Roose-
velt's country life commission to one
of their two chief conclusions, that
future economic betterment of the
rural population depended upon fur
Their development of cooperation.
Agricultural conditions the world over
are peculiarly adapted to this mutual
way of doing business in buying and
selling, in banking and in some lines
of production, as, for example. cheese
and butter making.
Cooperation in the United States is
traced historically to the influence of
Brook Farm. a communistic expert.
! ment In the early forties at West Rox.
bury, by some literary people and re-
formers. Nathaniel Hawthorne, in
writing Of 1t, said: 1--WE sought our
profit by mutual aid" And this ex-
preston of purpose was in the agree
ment of members: ITO institute an
attractive, efficient and productive
system Of industry"
Although that particular undertak-
ing failed, the principles there laid |
down have been taken up by success
sive associations of all descriptions
from that day to this increasingly.
Among farmers there are very eff.
ctent organizations for shipping. mar.
keting and selling produce in many
special lines, as In the cases of the
powerful tobacco and fruit growers
associations in several parts of the
country; for buying seeds, fertilizers,
and farm supplies, and for
securing credit at low rates Of inter-
est.
The object Of cooperation in selling
has been to eliminate the middleman,
who apart from the cost of transpor.
tation, usually absorbs half the cost
Of goods to the consumer. Co-opera-
ton IN this line, however, has result.
ed In standardizing commodities at
better prices. The farmer has bene-
lited by getting more money for finer
stun at the cost of the consumer. the
status Of the middleman remaining
about the same. The country is
thought to be greatly in need of a
credit system available to farmers.
which our banking system does not
supply. The few cooperative agricul.
:ural banks which we have are said
~ the experts to Just All the bill.
Some idea Of the extent of the agri-
cooperation already existing
n this country may be gathered from
some government statistics three or
Jour years old relating to the leading
mutual associations for rural better.
nent. For irrigation enterprises alone
there were at the time 10000 asso-
cations. The rural insurance asso-
cations took second place with some
$1,000 societies. Rural telephone serv.
Ice had $4,000 cooperative associa.
lions; buying associations, 1000: sell.
ing unions, 5000; educational. 1000:
including dairying and
fruit drying, Is; cooperative colonies.
so. The grand total was $4,000 50.
,ieties enrolling over 100000 persons.
The principle and practice of mutual
aid 1t was reported is steadily pene.
trating every branch of farming and
into every part of the country.
The agricultural cooperative so.
cieties Of the United States are in
groups centralized in sections of the
Creameries In the north
central and western states, particular.
ly in Iowa, Wisconsin and Minnesota:
ire insurance in New York, Pennsyl.
vania and the north central; irriga.
ton in the Rocky mountain and Pa.
cific; fruit marketing in the west, par.
ticularly in California where 80 per
cent. Of all the fruit is comparatively
graded, packed and sold; vegetable
selling in New Jersey. Ohio, Illinois,
Missouri, Texas, Louisiana, and to
some extent on the South Atlantic
coast; milk in New England and New
York; wheat in the northwest, and
arm supply buying in Utah.
Altogether this is a showing for
cooperation which com.
hands respectful attention, especially
since there Is every evidence Of steady
and penetration year by
yoar into fha vifa1o If tho oo&ln- 8