The Meridian times. (Meridian, Idaho) 1909-1938, 1914-06-12
Where Fifty Thousand Belgian Peasants Cooperate.
EUROPE'S COOPERATIVE MESSAGE
BY MATTHEW s. puDeEoN.
Copyright. 1914. Western Newspaper union.l


vestigation as we have made without
can rural life must come some form of
cooperative enterprise. If it costs as
much to take the farm produce from
the farm to the city consumer as it
does to produce 1t (and this is an adj
mitted fact) it necessarily follows that
our distributive system is wonderfully
wasteful. How long will the intelli-
gent American farmer tolerate a sys-
tenn which nets him 25 to so per cent
of the retail price of his farm product
after he knows that the Danish farmer
gets little over ninety per cent of
what the consumer pays for his prod
uct. AS we investigate what is done
abroad and what could be done in
America in the way of efficient dis
tribution the wonder grows that the
American farmer with his intelligence
and independence and initiative has
consented to be victim of distribu-
tive system which has put him abso-
lutely in the hands of the commercial
forces that intervene between himself
and the consumer. 1t is no less as
tonishing that the more businesslike
and more commercialized city consum-
er should have so long consented to
pay price to the distributor of farm
products which is over 100 per cent
above the producers price.
Cooperation is coming to America.
i Whether 1t will come in the exact
form in which it evidences itself in
| foreign lands or in some other differ
ent form is immaterial. 1t may not
come Immediately but eventually and
inevitably the idea of cooperation will
prevail in the future agricultural and
commercial organizations of the Unit
ed States.
/ Cooperative Lessons.
It Is safe to assume that Ireland
Belgium, Germany, and Denmark have
learned some lessons from their many
years of cooperative endeavor. 1t is
safe to assume that If certain princi
pies have been found to apply through
out all these countries, then these prin
ciples are at least worthy of care
full consideration for future use In
America.
There are some points as to which
all cooperative societies abroad ars
the same. There are some as tt
which they differ, as is but natura
when we consider the varying condi
tions under which the various socie
ties operate in the different countries
We are of course primarily interested
in those fundamental characteristic,
which are common to all
| Whenever a number of American
farmers gather together to considel
an organization which has to do will
mercantile or other financial enter
i prise, it is but natural to talk abou
profits and dividends. Their idea o
organization is joint stock corpora
ton in which each man invests sucl
money as he can spare, in which eacl
votes in proportion to the shares pur
chased, and the main purpose of which
is to earn money and declare divi
dends. 1t is difficult for him to con
ceive of a commercial organization
4 whose chief function is not to squeez'
all the profit there is out of every &C
tivity.
True cooperation is impossible S,
long as this idea OF organization il
retained.
i The purpose of the cooperative en-
terprise is to handle the product witt
economy and efficiency so that Their
will be no waste and no profits di
verted from the producers pocket.
such q concern pays a large dividend
to shareholders 1t is not evidence o
success but clear indication tina
money which should have gone to tn,
producer has been taken from hin
and given to the investor. This con
ception has not yet reached the con
seriousness of the American farme
who stili expects cooperative con
Germ to pay dividends.
The Irish Way.
In ireland we found that nearly al
of the effective cooperative organize