Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1912-02-02
ORGANIZATION.
Success of Cooperation In the
United States.
Grain Dealers, Fruit Growers, Dairy
men and Changers Save Money BY
Working Toeether-Granse Fire In
suranoe Companies That Carry So
100000 and Over In Policies.

VVV,OOO and Over In Policies.
Here and there throughout the coun-
try may be found cooperative organi-
cations of farmers. many of them very
successful. But there is no state wide
system of cooperation in any state.
simply separate unaffiliated societies.
Some Of these we shall briefly allude
to, but they are not necessarily the
largest or most successful. There are
hundreds of others, but these may be
taken as an illustration of the large
work done.
In the middle west the cooperative
grain dealers movement is assuming
large proportions. 1t is said that there
are over 1900 farmers grain compa-
MES organized and that they are saw
ing the organized farmers $50 1000. 900
year. This estimate is on the author
ity of the president of the Grain Deal
ers' association of Illinois. The states
of Iowa. Minnesota and South Dakota
have more than 500 farmers elevator
companies with total membership Of
5000 farmers.
The Summer Fruit Growers associa-
ton of Puyallup. Wash. has 700 mem.
bers. who shipped last year 62OOO
crates Of raspberries and about $4,000
crates Of blackberries. its own canning
plant using 10000 crates of the former
and $4,000 crates of the latter. The
total sales were over 100000 crates Of
all fruits. This association was organ
lied with a capital of $4,000 in 200
shares. In Olathe, Kan. is the Farmers
Cooperative bank. where stock is held
at $500 per share. 1t pays a dividend
OF 30 per cent per annum. The Farm
ers' Fire and Tornado Insurance com
pany In the same place carried $4,000
OOO In risks. and the cost of insurance
is 81 per $1,000. In Upland. Kan.
three mutual companies have head
quarters-a mercantile corporation.
telephone company and an insurance
organization. The company has $500
members. The store is so profitable
that shares are quoted at $3.50. The
telephone company serves 1000 per-
sons, mostly farmers. It is a remarka-
BILE success.
In the east there are also many CO.
operative enterprises. and these are
mostly among the oranges. This is
one important feature Of their work on
its business side. Massachusetts Pa
irons organized cooperative associa-
ton with capital stock of 5000. In
less than n year it handled 100 car
loads of grain. 10 carloads of flour, 500
tons of fertilizer, for which 1t paid
altogether over 100000 and in so do
ing saved over $4,000 on the pur-
chases.
one Of the most prosperous co-opera-
rive organizations in the east is the
turner Center NIe) Dairying asso-
citation. Here are some figures of its
operations for thirteen months ending
Jan. /. 1911: Total receipts from sales |
or butter, cream, milk. etc. were ST.
433,225G2. Eggs, trade and miscella- !
neous brought the total up TO ST. /
6oO,43466. Patrons were paid 81, 49, !
329.91 for cream and milk and SG2,-
O23.S0 for eggs. The total expenditures |
were Sl,G45.625.25. The creamery paid /
farmers for cream delivered in the /
month Of December $70,915.90 The .
assets Of the company are $3O3. S7372.
In Houlton, Me-. the grange store .
ana gristmill did business of $16G,-
SoG.S9 last year. The cost of operat-
ing the plant was $4,35231. The
three grange insurance companies of
The state carry $2O,OOO,OOO in policies
on farm buildings. 1t may be said
lust here that the grange fire insur-
ance companies are saving thousands
upon thousands of dollars to members
every year. For instance, the Dutch
ess and Columbia Patrons Fire Re
lief association in New York carries
lob policies, all on farm property,
he total risks being $6S42, 800. 1t
'ost $1,656.74 to run this organization
asst year apart from the losses paid.