Devils Lake inter-ocean. (Devils Lake, N.D.) 1909-1915, 1912-01-19

~ EIn$San interesting discussion read
Thursday Afternoon, before the meet
ing Of the iris State Grain Growers
Association, in session in Fargo, this
week, President McVey Of the state
University said the following:
The almost universal practice Of
modern business is com bination, d
tendency developed because Of the
elimination Of wastes, economy of
staff and plant, the Strengthening of
the trade against outside interests, and
the gaining of political and financial
control due to the power of capital.
Yet this universally accepted law
has been persistently overlooked by
American and British. farmers. The
history of the farmer as we'll as that
of the industry has been individual
istic. Without question this attitude
on questions of government and char.
ges in the industry has been conserya.
tive The farmer does not wish to in
teffere with other peoples business
and does not propose that others shall
interfere with his. The result is that
the farmer, because of his independ-
ence of mind and sturdy integrity, has
been the backbone of national de-
velopment. Yet because Of his indi-
vidualistic tendencies ne has material
ly suffered in the protection Of his own
interests and in the enlargement Of
his business. In. %.S. Z IA .sss3
One hundred years ago few farm.
ers in England combined in a cooper
alive enterprise that proved wonder
fully successful, but it did not carry
much weight with it, nor has it in any
other place outside of an occasional
communistic community; consequent
ly the development of cooperation
among farmers has not been carried
on to any great extent. They have,
however, begun to recognize that more
can be accomplished jointly than sin
ely, and this was seen first in the
efforts to take care of milk and dairy
products. No one farmer could de-
velop creamery with any advantages.
so there has come into being all over
the country a great number of COOP
erative creameries which have proved
highly successful. It was but short
step from this to the organization of
selling agencies, with central offices.
that should act as the Joint selling.
group for number of creameries.
In other directions the cooperative
element has become operative, as seen
in the cooperative elevators. Some
1900 of these have been built in the
United States and have had consid-
cradle influence in producing better
results in the marketing Of grain, So,
too attempts have been made here and
there to pool the sale Of cattle, in or
der to secure a better price and to
save the charges that would be placed
against them il. sold individuality
There have, however, been some OBJ
jections to this method, and recently
one of the Iowa courts has decided
that the sale of cattle by pooling in
terests is restraint of trade and conse-
quently against the law. But in the
field of fruit-growing much advance
has been made in bringing the grow
ers together, seen particularly in
what has been accomplished in Cali
fornia, where a humber of independent
growers have come together and or
ganized, first taking up the problem OF
Il eight rates, later on that of packing
and now more recently the manufac-
ture Of crates and boxes. Likewise the
cooperative store, which abroad has
been carried to great success. nov
makes its appearance in rural com.
munities. Sometimes they are estab.
lished by organizers from outside, who
suggest the purchase Of old stocks 81
the organization Of new stores, witt,
me idea in mind Of creating better
oasis OF purchase for local buyers,
There have been considerable nun.
EnRlRT oRiR TaInrS