The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1912-07-06
SAVE MONEY BY COOPERATION
Western Plan GIsse Farmer More for
Products and Consumer Is Buy.
Ing at Reduced Price.


how farmers can get their products In
to the homes of consumers without
leaving half or more Of the pecuntary
returns in the hands Of the middle
men.
In the west the matter of co-opera-
ton in marketing farm produce has
made good progress. Producers are
uniting to send their vegetables and
other produce to the city, where a
man in tbs employ Of the organization
distributes the commodities to the re-
taiIers. That agent receives salary.
A great saving has resulted In most
cases in which that plan has been
tried, the farmers getting more for
their products and the consumer get
ting his vegetables, butter and eggs
at lower price.
A Colorado farmer In describing the
conditions which formerly existed
said: II shipped cantaloupes to Dem
yer which sold in the city for s1.10
crate For that shipment received
| less than SO cents a crate, out Of
which l had to pay IL cents for the
crate. By the time the middlemen got
through with my product they had re
ceived nearly two-thirds Of its value.
| I labored from April until August to
produce my crop and then handled 1t
| in "a hours.
/ Zone year the farmers of my COM
munity shipped 100000 worth of can
taloupes OF this amount the middle
man received $4,000 and the farm
ers $4,000 This is not only true Of
cantaloupes, but almost every other
crop the farmer grows. whenever the
midd1eman, especially the commission
dealers and the transportation compa-
MES, must handle It,
II shipped tomatoes in baskets con-
tanning 20 pounds On the city mar
i ket they brought rs cents a basket.
The express company and the commits
sion men together received 30 cents,
leaving me IS cents net, I being
obliged to pay ten cents for each bas-
ket. The middlemen handled those
tomatoes In one day. I labored six
months to produce them, besides being
Obliged to have lands, fertilizer, tools
and many other things to produce the
crop"
By cooperation the profits OF the
middleman are eliminated and at the
same time better transportation rates
can be secured by united body than
when each shipper acts as an indtvid-
uai
J In some parts Of New York state, In
Ohio and the middle west great guam
titles OF butter are produced in co
: operative creameries. The companies
; are composed Of the farmers and dairy
: men Of given section, who take theil
t milk to the creamery, where an exper.
= butter maker prepares It for market
j The stock of The company is divided
{ among the farmers and after the but
j ter is sold and all the expenses paid
t the profits are divided according Il
! the holdings oil the stockholders. This
directors OF those creamertes are nov
S considering new plan Of marketin.
9 the output
Heretofore the butter has been mar
d keted through the large city commits
/, sion houses Many OF the stakeholder
J. have regretted to see part Of the pre-
% ceeds from the sale OF the butter g.
q into the hands of the commission
II dealers, holding that all the profit
n should be divided between the stock
# holders and the consumers.
b. A plan lis now on foot among man
,r Of those cooperative creameries whic
q Is to be tried out this summer where
"a by the commission dealer Is to be elm
a. mated. The idea now being worke
4 out Is to unite large number {
"a creameriss for the marketing of th
output Directors are to be nance
a who, like all the other officers Of th
ID individual companies, are to act witt
to out pay. They are to employ con
j. petent experienced man to haV
NJ charge OF the receiving and distribu
,r ing end Of the business in the city. Il
RI Is to do the work now done by tn
IN commission men, only acting as g
~ employe of the united creameries.
Va Each creamery will retain its ind
RI pendence and individuality under tt
new system, merely uniting with Il
l. others for the sale of the products ar
es for such other benefits as may accru
m The earnings from such an arrang
\ ment would be divided pro rata amor
no the creameries, according to the nu1
al Der Of pounds produced.
MS The project has been discussed f
= nearly year and is meeting wi
as great favor among the united dair
q men. The promoters Of the plan S,
rs there is no limit to the possibilities
nd saving, once merger has be-
an formed. The salesman is to not on
sell the butter, but being the repl
7e- sentative Of large number of crea
N. cries, each one Of which has fro
ro- twenty-five to hundred stockholdel
IN he will be in a position to buy fe
ed and other supplies for farmers nee
no at an advantageous price.
tn II the plan is successful 1t will me
| ~Sn1 S,a ~