Tensas gazette. [volume] (St. Joseph, La.) 1886-current, 1914-09-18
DEFINITION OF COOPERATION
In Agriculture II Means the Working
Together Of Farmers for Trans
action Of Business.
(By B. H. HIBBARD)

working together Of q number Of per-
sons for some common end. Literal
ly. 1t may mean a working together
In an unorganized way. For example.
two farmers exchange work, or they
unite their efforts In breaking the
road after a snowstorm. These are
undoubted examples of cooperation.
So also 10 1t q kind of cooperation
which brings men together In the
processes of manufacture. One group
of men digs the ore. another trans
ports 1t, q third reduces and refines
1t, and so on to the final process.
These men, however. are not members
OF a company in the management Of
which they have q voice. They are
not doing the work for themselves.
Their cooperation IL on the basis Of q
contract and their reward IL a stipu-
lated sum. In the case of the owners
OF the business, the return Is in the
form OF interest. rent, or profits. In
this form Of organization the rewards
are on the individualistic basis, and
In proportion to labor performed, land
owned, capital invested or some bust
ness advantage. In the management
OF the business the voting strength of
the proprietors Is ordinarily in pro-
portion to the capital owned by each.
In the cooperation with which we
are here concerned the business IL
owned and run by the group among
whom the rewards are apportioned
whether on the basis of capital con-
tributed. business transacted or labor
performed. The distinguishing fea-
ture Is the ownership of the business
by the group concerned In its opera
ton not as wage earners or a. in
vestors. but as buyers. sellers, pro-
ducers, or consumers; all ON q par.
In other words. the co-operators con-
stitute q class. and are not representa-
tives Of several classes. For exam.
pie: the group may consist of farm
ers who are either sellers or buyers,
or both; or possibly as breeders Of
stock or grain: or yet again a. manu-
facturers. In every case, however,
they are banded together for the COM
mon purpose Of doing for themselves
jointly something which each sepa-
rately could not do a. economically,
and which they do not choose to
leave to an outside, or independent
agency. Briefly, then, cooperation in
agriculture means the organized work
Ing together of farmers for the trans
action Of business. The essence Of
such business IL the common ad.
vantage Of the group. II IL q method
OF performing . work which. presum.
ably. can be more economically per-
formed BY the interested parties than
BY the tradesmen outside the group
who are disposed to perform the serv.
Ice for gain to themselves. In true
cooperation there are no true profits
such - . private company strives to
get. but salaries and wages Of man.
ager and employees will have to be
paid By any such company Of any
considerable size. In some minor un-
dertakings the work II sometimes
done By members. free of charge, thus
eliminating both profits and salaries.
There 10 no dividend on stock above
nominal interest rates: the increased
price for produce, decreased price of
supplies. or the more favorable rates
on loans. use up the surplus which
otherwise might 90 into dividends.
Presumably. It 10 . method of taking
some Of the friction out of the proc
esses of production. distribution and
exchange. and bringing the co-operator
more directly in touch with the mar.
kets In which he has business to
transact
Cooperation may have for its OBJ.
ject either the buying or selling of
goods. and these are by far the most
usual objects. In many countries the
furnishing Of credit IL one of the
most prominent objects of all asricul.
tural cooperation. Less frequent but
quite AZ important, II cooperation
practiced In some lines of production
and manufacture.