Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1912-01-25
America Next.


The United States needs co-opera-
its legislation. agriculture. industry,
commerce and finance differ in many
ways from those of European coun.
tries. Any importation of the coop
erative plan must be accompanied by
improvements and notifications which
will adapt it to the character. meth
DDS, habits and requirements of the
American people. and this under pen
atty of failure.
The failure to recognize and comply
with these cardinal conditions is re
sponsibe for the lack Of success of
the previous attempts to establish CO.
operation in this country.
But there exists an American plan.
now ready TO he put in operation. II
is the result of twenty years of close
study of the conditions required to
meet the instant favor of all without
attacking or interfering with any OF
the industrial, commercial, producing
and financial interests at present eX-
listing In this country.
The aims Of the United Stores assoc
citation through the permanent organ.
ization Of its improved system ut
"distributive cooperation" are:
To bring close together the three So
cial but divided elements-consumer
distributor and producer - causing
them to reciprocate in a mutual and
constant effort to help each other.
There are two classes Of members
the associate purchasers and the asso
ciate dealers.
The main objects Of the association
regarding the consumer. It's associate
purchaser. are:
First.-To enable him to procure all
necessaries Of good quality. Of just
measure and weight and at fair prices
Second.-To pay over to him from
time to time. subject only to the sim
pie regulations Of the association. q
cash refund or dividend" in propor
ton to the amount Of his and his fan.
ily's trade with the stores or firm
duly licensed by the association.
This dividend may be conservatives.
estimated at per cent of the tots
cash purchases made by the memhe
at current retail prices.
As to the associate dea lers, any repu
table retailer now in business is e..gi
BILE to membership. He gets his proc
uce direct from the farmers throu-
a central distributing agency.
The Field Is Oper.
The United Stores asso iation p.ai
is only given as Il sample of what liH,
be done. At present its field of opel
atoms is in New York city. Eventual
ly it plans to extend to other cities. H.
the meantime there Is nothing to pre-
vent other associations or even group
of private individuals from doing the
same thing On this point Hon. James
Wilson, secretary Of agriculture. says
in report just out:
FARMERS cooperative selling asso
ctations are numerous in this coun
try" said the secretary, but coop
erative buying associations among the
people Of cities and towns are few
Why do not consumers buy directly
from the farmers!
aside from buying associations
maintained by farmers, hardly any co
operation exists in this country. 1t Is
apparent that the consumer has much
to do to work out his own salvation
with regard to the prices he pays.
POTATOES were selling in the spring
Of 1909 in some places where there
had been overproduction for 20 cents
bushel and in some places for even
q cents bushel at the farm, while at
le same time city consumers We're
paving 80 to - cents Il bushel. al
though there was nothing to prevent
them from combining to buy car
load or more Of potatoes directly from
/ themselves"
Enormous Profits.
The department of agriculture last
year made Il rather thorough investi
cation into the increase in cost OF
farm products IN their transfer from
producer to consumer This investi
CATION established certain facts which
the secretary of agriculture has sum
married. as follows:
The milk consumers Of severity eight
cities paid for milk an increase oi
100 per cent above the price received
by dairy men. In other words. the
farmers price was fully doubled TIL,
lowest increase among the georraphI,