Montpelier examiner. [volume] (Montpelier, Idaho) 1895-1937, 1914-06-26

consumer. There can. In q truly co
operative enterprise. be no antagonts-
tic interests. The interests OF all are
identical. Each IL seeking to accom-.
plish the same purpose.
The richer member does not feel |
himself disfranchised. What is good |
for him Is good for the poorer member
and he seems TO have been always |
able 10 make the poorer member see
II and vote with him. Everywhere II |
is one man one vote. There Is Abso-
lutely no dissent from the principle |
Ireland. Belgium, Denmark. and Ger |
many. all agree that this Is absolutely |
the only method Of management
Dlsloyalty Of Members.
One OF the great stumbling blocks |
In cooperative success In America has
been the disloyalty of the members
themselves. AS soon as a cooperative
marketing concern Is organised a pri-
vRtely owned company 10 likely to Of
fer an advanced price-one consider
ably above that which the cooperative
N0ACEAA 70 0AUAAMh 0kA0 R0D@A1At ghN
much higher than the condition OF the
market will justify In America hu-
man nature. like human nature in
general. is selfish and Il IL difleult for
the farmer to see why he should sacri.
nee Ave cents a bushel upon his grain
out of n mere sentiment of loyalty to
the cooperative enterprise AS n 70
suit he almost inevitably takes his
! grain to the privately owned concern.
His neighbors do the same and soon
the cooperative concern is on the
rocks and Is abandoned. No observer
of American commercial methods
needs TO be told the next step The
| privately owned concern Immediately
lowers the price. the farmer Ia where
he was before but by his own disloyal
~ he has made II practically impossi
bic for any other cooperative con.
cern ever to be organized in the com
munity.
European cooperation has had the
same experience II was originally
hard for the European farmer TO real.
lie that he should sacrifice a limited
amount OF present profit In order TO
demonstrate his loyalty to the con
Germ and to secure ultimate success.
The situation. however, no longer
arises where cooperation has become
fairly established.
In the very beginning OF the organi.
cation frank statement Is made and
prospective members are informed
that the competition OF privately
owned buyers will be such that they
will be offered larger profits than the
cooperative concern can offer them
and that unless they are ready to 20
into the cooperative enterprises and
to agree TO bring all their products to
1t irrespective of the price which II is
offering no organization can be sue
cessful. The fact that the high prices
which will be offered them In compe.
tition are but temporary is fully ex.
planned and experience shows that
when the farmer understands what
the situation Is likely to be Ie IL very
ready to enter into an agreement TO
market all OF his produce through the
cooperative concern.
Quality and Control.
Another characteristic common q
all cooperative organizations which
we visited in these four countries II
that where the society Is a marketing
: concern IL insists upon the highest
: quality and In order TO get IL exercises
/ absolute control over the acts Of III
J. members SO far as these acts contrib
ute to the quality of the product Such
a successful dairying institution as thC
Trifolium dairy OF Denmark has mos
rigid rules to which all members mus
. subscribe There must be monthly
u inspection by the veterinarians repre-
senting the society: a COW found TO b.
unhealthy or defective must be with
;. drawn: the slightest Illness on thl
= part of the COW must be reported ant
the milk kept separate: detailed re
quirements as to ventilation. cleanlI
"a ness. handling OF milk and milk can
= must be observed. the milk of cow
u which have not been inspected mus
not be mingled with those which
:. have; milk must be cooled within on
y hour after II Is MIXED in order tina
A. DagE9liDiJEACai kiuNhh ha1 EsAbt
!, Z cans must be cleaned In a certain
4 way. In fact everything Is done whicl
!. can be done to improve tho quality 0
u the milk and the butter and othe
products handled By tns Trifoliur
dairy.
: Central Association Needed.
Experience In these foreign couH
tries has also demonstrated that n
j, local cooperative concern Ii snfIiclen
!. unto itself The manager Of CO
operative egg marketing institution i
:. northwestern Ireland may know a
= about poultry raising and egg produ'
: ton, may be skilled In the art OF pael
/. ing his eggs. and know something
/, general about marketing. Il Ia impoi
a sibie for him, isolated as he Is, I
n know from day to day where there IL
~ demand for his product. As result
q Is found necessary In Ireland TO hay
= these cooperative concerns affiliate
:. with the Irish Wholesale Society. wit
n. headquarters az Dublin.
Or The same principle exists in Ge
=. many but Is worked out In anothe
way. The necessity Of federation
recognized, however. In AL countrle
~ although the way In which the loci
=. organizations are affiliated into Gel
an tral organization varies under the col
~ ditfons OF the various countries
,e Europe'S Unanimous Verdict.
guasaaAwn