Fulton County tribune. (Wauseon, Ohio) 1883-1925, 1914-03-27

has found by experience that where
large profits are paid to the investors
the real purposes of cooperation are
not served. One case is recorded
where American fruit growers organ
izer a so-called cooperative concern
upon the joint stock plan. They IN
veigled into the venture a large num-
Der of smaller growers who had little
money to invest, but in the aggregate
a very considerable amount of fruit
to market The ones who invested
largely were in control and proceed
ed to make large profits for them
selves as investors, and ignored the
interests of the fruit growers them
selves. As result the small growers
were forced out of business and out
OF the country.
Here in Ireland so well established
is this principle that 1t is a definite
rule that no cooperative society can
pay more than 5 per cent per an
mum upon the stock held by the share
holders.
Must Market Through the Society.
Every time that any group of Amer
lean farmers have organized a CO.
operative marketing concern they have
met sharp and often unfair competi-
ton. The other established buyers
have offered prices which were higher
than the cooperative society could
offer without taking loss. Often they
succeed in coaxing the members Of
the cooperative society from its sup
| port It is hard for farmer who is
receiving only 35 cents per bushel
; for his potatoes at cooperative ware
house to refuse As cents offered by
some independent buyer. But the un-
varying subsequent history is, Of
course. that as soon as the co-opera-
tive concern is put out Of business by
this sort Of competition prices drop,
! and the farmer is where he was be-
fore, and helpless in the hands of the
Independent buyers,
To obviate this difficulty in Ireland,
! it has been found necessary to ex-
plain the situation fully to the pros
| pective members of the cooperative
organization; to state to them that un-
less they are willing to agree to mar
ket all their product through the CO
| operative society it is useless to be-
1 gin. They are warned that they will
be approached by independent dealers
and offered higher prices. But thus
! warned and informed upon the sub
! ject, the organizers of Irish co-opera-
!; tive societies have had little difficulty
in obtaining from the prospective mem
bers an agreement to market all of
their produce through the concern.
Importance Of Quality.
AS we have said, there is no magic
in. cooperation. Cooperative market
| ing simply means that the farm pro
| duce is to be marketed IN business
like way without undue waste dur
| ing the process. Pioneers, in Irish Co
operation soon found that after they
had discovered the best market and
after they had organized the co-opera-
tive society, and after the, members
! had agreed to bring all their produce
| to the company, cooperation was still
an absolute failure whenever the mem.
| bers of the society delivered even oc-
| casionally, inferior goods and mingled
| them with the better goods A cream
\ cry pats out 100 pounds of good but,
| ter; if the next pound is bad butter
i the market for the butter of that
creamery is ruined. Without high uni
i form quality cooperation cannot sue
ceed 1t becomes necessary therefore
for the members all to cooperate in
producing cream that is of the highest
possible quality and reaches the
4 creamery in the best condition. But
4 Irish experience demonstrates that nc
private concern can compete in quail
ity with a cooperative concern, for ns
private concern can control the prod
uct from it's original source
Control, Is Requisite.
Quality can be produced by the CO
operative society, because these con
Germs reach out to the farm 1t
self It is not enough that cream
cry has the best and latest method
of making butter and marketing ii
II the cream comes in from the farm
in bad condition, the butter is bad
To make good butter you must contro
the COW, and her feed, and her care
and the stables, and the milk pail
and even the milk can used in deliv
: cry.
Certain rigid rules and condition
: are laid down by the creameries then
selves, and approved by central CON
| mittee. Each creamery participatin
in the scheme is required to give fre
, access during the working hours to tn
( officers of the l. A. o. s. that they ma
> inspect the premises and books, chec
l the records examine any butter
+ stock, and take for analysis sample
, of cream and butter. Each creamer
D is bound to maintain the most in
macuIate cleanliness, accept only mil
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