St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1914-01-28


here could not pay cash for what they
bought They had to get goods on
credit. Once a farmer got into debt
to these retail dealers he seldom got
free from the big mans clutches.
While he was in this state he was no
better than a slave. He was charged
tremendous prices and had to pay big
interest. 1 myself have been charged
interest on what I bought on credit
at the rate of IA per cent. per annum.
My father had this sort of interest to
pay while he was bringing up his fam
lily. That is where the three pounds
went that it took me six months to
earn when I started to work.
What Cooperation Is Doing
But Notwithstanding the smallness
Of the holdings, and the poor soil, con-
ditions in Dunglow are improving.
never knew an organization to do SO
much for community as the Temple
crone Cooperative Agricultural soci-
ETY. is doing for Dunglow. The so
ciety started in a little oneroom cot
tage on a farm where I lived. We be-
gan by buying manures and later
few groceries. We had fierce opposi-
ton at first from the gombeen man
and traders, as fierce as any communi-
ty ever had. Some of the members
were in debt to the gombeen men and
had to come into the cooperative quar-
ters at night and over the back walks
in order to conceal from the gombeen
man that they were members. If
the gombeen men found out that any
one trading with them was trading
with US they refused him credit and
issued a writ If he owed them"
A Little Democracy.
I'VE wish no one any ILL., We do
net do business that way. We have
simply demanded the right to attend
to our own little affairs. We meet in
our little parliament here to discuss
our business. We have given some
entertainments which have brought
the people nearer together and given
them a good time. This year we or
ganized an industrial show in which
we exhibited everything which we pro-
duced here, including lace and knit
goods, as well as some of our farm
products. We did this to encourage
others to make these things. Now
we are looking around to get some
little local industry started. We need
something of the kind badly SO that
more money can come into the COM
munity. Lace making, knitting and
work of that kind is important, too,
for every little helps here. We are
willing to work when we can.
On the UPGRADE.
THE boys are learning to farm bet
ter than their fathers farmed. We
are raising better cows, and pigs and
chickens, and producing better eggs,
poultry and meat than we ever did
before. Through our little co-opera-
tive society we have a steady market
at good prices for all we can raise.
We are not rich, for this is not a
rich country, and never can be. There
are too many stones and boys in Don
egal for that. But we are doing our
best, and we are going to reach
point soon where every man can go
up and down Dunglow and say that
he owes no man anything. Co-opera-
I4On has OAO0SAI AS SO6CNASI, anu VIC
are all good friends. We are not
fighting with each other any more.
We are helping each other. We are
still doing business on a very small
scale, Of course. We are poor people,
and we must always be that There
is no chance for wealth in a five or
six-acre farm. We raise a little patch
Of oats for oatmeal for our family.
Most of US get enough potatoes of
our little places to last US through the
year. We couldn't live without pota-
toes. You know the great famine OF
1S4S, when SO many died in Ireland,
was caused wholly by potato blight
The children around here are almost
brought up on potatoes. They get
mashed potatoes, with a little milk in
it, before they are weaned. They grow
up on it and sometimes have little
else. Cooperation has helped us to
sell what we have. and we are doing
first rate.
Cost Of Living.
by purchasing goods direct from
original sources, this society has made
it possible for the poorest farmer TO
fertilize his potato patch and in
crease the crop which he raises. The