Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1913-02-28

was founded, it has done a business
of more than eight million dollars
and its total profits have amounted
to more than 100000. The same
society now operates a bank with a
capital stock of $4,000 and a sur
plus Of $4,000. 1t also operates a
farmers insurance company, carrying
risks Of more than six millions at an
average yearly cost of $2.25 per
thousand.
The Right-Relationship League
The most extensive cooperative store
enterprise in this country has its
headquarters in Minneapolis and OPP
crates chiefly in Minnesota, Illinois,
Wisconsin and Iowa. There are more
than one hundred stores in this
group with membership of more
than 10000 and a yearly business
above two millions. 1t is patterned
after the Rochdale Stores. One I'M
varying policy, however, is never to
establish new store in a com mu-
nifty, but always to buy out a sue
cessful store instead, and hire, If
possible, the former owner as man
ager and his clerks as statesmen.
They have a wholesale store to act
as purchasing agent for the retail
stores. The retail stores act as ship
ping agents for their members. None
OF the stores operated by this league
has failed and all have been profit
able.
Cooperation in Selling Meat
Animals
Kansas chief live stock business is
producing meat animals. No attempt
SO far as l know of has been made to
cooperate in this matter.
The Meeks County (Minn.) live
stock shippers organized a shippers
association and employed the best
live stock man in the county as man
ager. The first year they effected
saving of from $40 to $50 car
At Centralia, Missouri, last winter
the stock feeders felt that it was
costing them too much to market
their cattle, sheep, hogs and horses,
and organized a live stock shippers
association covering four counties
cornering at that place. They asked
for membership in the live stock ex-
change at East st. Louis and were re-
fused at first, but finally were ad-
united. They now have a local man
ager at Central,a and a sales agent
in East st. Louis.
Cooperative Butchering and Curing
Associations
Nearly all of our meat comes from
the central packing plants at Chi
cago, st. Louis, Kansas City and
Omaha. The farmers of Kansas last
year bought from five to seven mil
lion dollars worth of meat from the
butcher shops while they were ship
ping millions of dollars worth of live
stock out Of the state.
Cooperation in eliminating this
waste has reached it's highest de-
velopment in Denmark. The Danish
bacon is celebrated the country over.
In that little country, about one-fifth
the size of Kansas, there are thirty
five cooperative curing plants with
ninety thousand members. They kill
annually about one M illion and half
hogs. These curing plants are owned
by the farmers who produce the hogs
and are conducted by the men whom
they hire, thus the farmers own the
bacon and hams when they are cured.
At that point a cooperative export
association takes charge of the pro-
duct and sends it to markets like
Liverpool, London, Paris and Berlin.
to be sold direct to the consumer, and
ance is RENTED to the men who
raised the hogs.
Cooperation Between the Farmer
and Consumer
The farmer will not make much
progress in shortening the road to
consumer until the consumer himself
becomes interested and meets the
producer half way. Obviously, the
consumer has no particular interest
in where he buys or from whom he
buys, unless he can buy at a lower
price, or can get better goods at the
same price. In a word, the advan-
tages Of direct selling must be shared
by both parties to the transaction.
We are now trying to educate the
farmer regarding the hnnnftn 70 him