The Washburn leader. [volume] (Washburn, McLean County, N.D.) 1890-1986, 1912-09-27
Farmers Should
Help Creameries
What the Big Interests Have Done
to Kansas Dairy Business in a
Short Time

also true that every infant industry
has its treacherous enemy, laying in
wait to exploit it and rob those engaged
in it of their just and reasonable pro-
fits, says an exchange.
Reference is had particularly to the
promising young creamery industry of
North Dakota and the menance which |
already overshadows it in the shape of
the so-called Centralizers, who are
seeking to rob it of its vitality and ap-
propriate to their own nefarious orga-
nizations the profits that should properly
accrue to the actual producer on the
farms of the butter fat which consti-
tutes the unit of value in estimating
the profit or loss to an individual or
concern.
These Centralizers are associations of
cream buyers that maintain large plants
in some central city SO situated geogra-
phically as to have rapid railway COM
munication with all parts of territory
often reaching out with radius of 500
miles. They solicit cream shipments
from this immense territory, the pro-
duct being handled by express, special
long distance rates being often secured
through the operation of the interstate
commerce law, thus overcoming to a
large extent the handicap of distance
which might otherwise protect the
local creamery. Shipments are often
made for 500 miles or more without
refrigeration, and the condition of
cream, after such journey, in ten
gallon cans which have been sometimes
two weeks in filling, in some warm, fly
infested kitchen, can better be imagined
than described. Only treatment by
lime can make the resulting product
even presentsble to the innocent con-
sumer. These concerns are backed by
unlimited capital and the wide range of
their operations enables them to outbuy
their local competitors at one point
while reimbursing themselves at another
where they have already secured 3
monopoly, by lowering the price paid
for butter fat. The quality of their
product is of but secondary Importance
to these operators, just SO long as it is
fashily presentable to the eye and not
absolutely repulsive to the taste.
Monopoly and dividends are their sole
object, and the destruction of an in
dustry but an incident in procuring the
same.
Opposed to these Centralizers both
in principle of organization, manner of
operation and ultimate aims, are the
local, cooperative creameries. Con-
eerning these President w. F. Siege,
of the North Dakota Dairymen's Asso-
ciatiop, thus succinctly describes the
system:
Under the cooperative system the
local;creamery deducts the actual cost
of operation, and a small sinking fund,
returning the balance to the patrons
pro rata in proportion to the amount of
butter fat delivered.
Organization is effected by the calling
of mass meeting wherever four or
five hundred mich cattle are available
within a reasonable distance from the
proposed creamery. At this meeting q
temporary organization is formed for
the purpose Of soliciting stock, securing
subscriptions and completing the COW
canvas with view Of organizing and
building the cooperative creamery.
Thus it will be seen that the matter Of
profit for the creamery itself is reduced
TO just that point necessary to pay rum
ming expenses and deterioration, all
above TINT being represented in the
price paid the patrons for butter fat.
From 100 pounds Of butter fat, when
properly handled, l25 pounds Of butter
can be manufactured, the increase be-
ing composed Of water, salt and casein.
This overrun will more than pay the
running expense Of the creamery and
still return to the farmer . higher price
for his butter fat than he could expect
4 to receive il he shipped it to one Of the
concerns already mentioned. l5
Why then, It vii, be asked, is not the
local creamery able TO outbid the Cen
siatralizer for the butter fat? The answer
y - that under fair, competitive con-
diitions the cooperative creamery can
I !. "A III, Init that the Cantralizars. by