Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1911-09-22
Especial Correspondence.l

| Especial Correspondence
A very significant cooperative move
ment has been recently started in New
York In which the grange is likely to
become actively interested. 1t is
known as the United Stores associa-
ton, subtitle Grangers, Dealers and
Consumers union. This organization
is capitalized at $1,000,000 and has,
we believe, already about 200 stores
in New York city allied with it. 1t
is the intention to increase this num-
Der to 1000 and later perhaps estab-
| lish, or, rather, admit into the organ
ization other stores in the larger cities
of the United States.
The idea is to bring closer together
the three parties to "distributive CO.
operation"-the consumer, the distrib-
utor and the producer. There are two
classes of members-viz, associate
purchasers and associate dealers The
chief object relative to the associate
| purchaser-the consumer-is to enable
him to procure the necessaries of life
of good quality, of just measure and
weight and at fair prices and to pay
over to him cash refund of per
cent on his purchases at the united
stores on surrender of their purchase
vouchers ninety days from the date of
issue. The associated dealers are to
pay 0 per cent on their sales to the
United Stores association, out Of
which the 6 per cent is paid to con-
sumers, and 3 per cent will be ex-
pended in various forms of publicity.
Furthermore, each associate purchaser
receives the benefit of an accident in
surance policy for $500.
In respect to the distributor or as
sociate dealer, the main objects are
to help transform his trading system
from credits to cash, to protect him
against unfair competition, to adver-
tise his business and to personally as
sist him to increase the number Of his
customers and his profits without add
ing to operating expenses and to as
sist him In extending any financial
credit he may need, and the associa
ton agrees not to interfere with him
in the management of his business.
The other interested party is the pro-
ducer, who will be benefited through
the increased demand for farm and
manufactured products and by group
ing in large orders of the purchases Of
associate dealers who will pay the pro-
ducer cash for what they buy.
Where the Farmer Comes In.
1t is just here that the farmer or
producer comes in, and it is proposed
to interest the members of the grange
as the greatest farmers organization
and enable them to secure the benefits
that it is believed will accrue to the
producer as suggested above. The
state grange of Pennsylvania, through
the executive committee, has officially
indorsed the cooperative plan Of the
United Stores association and has be-
come already associated in its man
agement by being represented in its
board Of directors by State Master
w. T. Greasy and State Lecturer e.
B. Dorsett. Mr.. George IT. Powell,
president of the Agricultural Experts
association of New York and a men,
Der Of the grange, has also been elect
ed director. These gentlemen will
endeavor to interest the New York
state grange and other state oranges
as we'll in the active management Of
the association. In q letter to the
writer Mr.. Powell says:
"The association Of the producers is
one of the most important links in this
cooperative movement. Now most
active compaign is to be opened to
organize members of oranges into CO.
operative shipping and selling associa-
TONS While the grange has been So
cial and educational very largely In
its work, this is step in advance by
becoming a business association, and
the products of farm will, in the
future, when the organization Is COM
pleted, go direct to the retailer in
our cities, which will reduce the cost
very materially to consumers. Last
year farmers received $S000,000 for
the potatoes they sold in New York
| CIIv, Wllllc Tue pull SOOr-
100000 for the same, 1t will be one Of
the objects of the United Stores asso-
citation to make 1t possible for the
farmers to receive more for their
products, while by cutting out inter
mediate costs through middlemen the
retailers may buy at less cost, and
consumers have also the benefits Of
reduced cost to them. This movement
is one Of the largest in its possibii-
ties for future benefit that has ever
been undertaken in the United States"
Changers have been cooperating for
years in buying of farm supplies,
feed, grain, fertilizer, binder twine
and numerous other commodities, but
cooperative selling has been pretty
largely failure. If the United Stores
association shall provide market for
farm produce at a better price and
cash price and eliminate to some extent
at least the middleman's profits he
(the farmer) will realize more from his
sales, and the consumer should GER
tainly realize a lessened cost Of liv
ing. ]. w. BARROW.
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