Tensas gazette. [volume] (St. Joseph, La.) 1886-current, 1914-11-06
REASON FOR HIGH INTEREST
Farmers Will Never Come to Their
Own Until Organization and Co
Operation 10 Effected.

There are $4,000 bankers in this
country. and they can get q hearing
whenever they wish. because they are
well organized and cooperate for bust
ness.
Every state has an active associa.
ton In touch with the national body.
Let any question come up that broadly
Affects banking. and the bankers will
promptly get their views of 1t before
the country and before congress,
writes o. F. Dornblaser in National
Field.
Farmers are borrowers to the ex.
tent Of $4,000. 100000. on which they
pay over i've hundred millions q year
Interest. Counting commissions and re-
newal charges, the average interest
rate is 81 per cent, a. compared with
q rate Of AZ to 81 per cent paid BY
the farmers Of France and Germany.
Money IL more plentiful here than
In either France or Germany. For in
dustrial and commercial purposes It
can be borrowed at a. low a rate, and
II 1t costs twice 40 much for farming
purposes the reason must be that
French and German farmers enjoy
better facilities for borrowing. II
our farmers had equally good facili-
ties they could save over, two hundred
million dollars year in interest
charges.
Now. too many Of our farmers Dor.
row individually; while German farm.
ers, without exception. borrow Good
eratively-whether they are borrow.
Ing for long term on land mortgage
or for sixty or ninety days on their
notes of hand.
That is the great difference. By
cooperating for the purpose Of Dor.
rowing. our farmers can save. In in
terest alone, more than half the value
Of . years oat crop. And by Co
operating for the marketing of their
farm products he could save q far
larger sum than that.
The little country Of Denmark has
100000 acres Of land. In the early
part Of the nineteenth century II was
. bleak waste of sand dunes: its
commerce practically all gone. the
country impoverished by wars and the
peasantry in . pitiful condition. To-
day this same little Denmark ID, in
proportion to it, population, the
wealthiest country in the world.
In our country about % Der cent
Of the entire population own their own
urban homes and about a Der cent
own their farm homes. while out OF
every 100 families In Denmark 80
own their houses and farmA The
Dane realized that he must not only
Increase the product Of his land, but
he must also strive to realize the high
est price for 1t. So cooperative selling
was adopted to bring about this result.
Denmark has now about $4,000 general
societies, over 1000 dairy
Ing societies. 40 bacon and $50 egg dis
centers.
Last year this little nation shipped
81 .000,000 worth Of butter to England
each week. Six years ago there were
l 100 cooperative creameries, han
ding almost all the milk In the country.
The Danish farmer II assisted by his
Organization and cooperation among
farmers 10 what will make the high
ups take notice. A single farmer, no
matter how skilled. industrious or sue
cessful. is only q man when national
power and influences stand up to be
Farmers will never come to
their own. will never enjoy rights and
privileges accorded to others. will
never have an equal and equitable
in opportunities. protection
md business until. like other classes,
hey unite to make their demands
backed by the combined powers Of
heir great calling.