The Springfield herald., 1913-05-16
WHAT FARMERS REALLY NEED
Sufficient Information Has Been Sc
cured Regarding European Co.
Operative Associations.

We cannot understand all this i'm
petus just now in the running over to
Europe of various special commissions
to learn about the credit systems for
loaning money to farmers. 1t seems
strange in the first place that we have
to run to Europe for new Ideas when
we are SO smart ourselves. but the bug
is on and the people are going over
under one form of organization or an
other. Notwithstanding that all the
facts were officially determined long
ago, SO that we really do not need to
go hunting for anything, says the Den
yer Field and Farm. In 1892-over
twenty years ago-Edward T. Peters
prepared a report on cooperative cred
1t associations in European countries
and their relation to agricultural inter-
ests for Hon. ]. M. Rusk. secretary OF
agriculture, who published 1t.
In this report there is discussed
German credit unions or peoples
banks, the Raiffeisen loan associations.
German legislation on cooperative as
sociations. peoples banks Of Austria
Hungary, cooperative banking in Italy,
and cooperative banks In Russia. 80
that we cannot understand at this late
date what the craving Is all about. In
transmitting the report 1t stated.
these peoples banks have a success
that justifies their existence. as they
fill virtual vacuum In banking oppor-
tunities for the agricultural and In
dustrial classes" 1t Is also said that
In a 1orU Of
been of great benefit to agriculturists
and that Cooperation has assumed an
altogether new Importance as the re-
suit Of circumstances especially char
acteristic of the industrial era In
which we live"
Since 1892 a great deal has been
said through official Investigations and
still more has been written on this sub
ject. Theses, magazine articles and
books have been published, using the
systems established In European coun-
tries half century ago as the theme.
Documents have been printed in great
quantities. That such systems pos
sessed undoubted merit has been rec
ognized; indeed, the long-continued
success these institutions have en-
joyed should be ample evidence of
their beneficial and sound character
Yet no permanent impression has been
made on American minds. No agency
or association such as the Grangers or
Farmers Union has taken up the mat
ter In any businesslike way and pushed
a movement forward calculated to put
in operation in this country some one
of these financial or cooperative
plahs.
1t seems very strange therefore that
a few people around the country are
just beginning to wake up to, all this
clatter about foreign credit systems.
which few of US, at least, who are at
the front of agricultural thought, have
known all along. The thing has now
become almost fetish among certain
people and this tendency has no doubt
been ably fostered by the routing COM
panies which make a speciality of hik-
ing tourists of to Europe under one
pretense or another. We now have Q
new expedition under way to be COM
prised of two delegates from each
state, who are to sail under the direc-
tion of one Of the big touring agencies,
ostensibly to attend an international
congress in Rome, with continental
trips here and there. so that 1t looks
like the came old junketing exploita-
tion for the seeking of something with
the finding of nothing but good time
and the accumulation of few facts
known. All we need now is to
codify these things into substantial
law.