Fulton County tribune. (Wauseon, Ohio) 1883-1925, 1914-06-05

cited as that of cooperative concern
which did not succeed in the best
sense Of the term.
The small shareholders of this So
ciety later formed another co-opera-
tive society, organizing and adminis-
tering 1t, you may be sure, upon a
purely cooperative basis, adopting the
one man vote plan, and providing that
no dividends be declared upon shares
but that all the profits go to those who
grew the fruit in proportion to the
amount furnished to 'thhe company by
each.
Greed Causes Another Failure.
The experience of a Minnesota CO.
operative warehouse elevator was
somewhat different. AS originally or
ganized and managed by the farmers
it was success. all the profits we're
distributed back to the producers as
an additional price upon the grain de-
livered and the farmers Loyalty sup
ported 1t. Later, however, the shares
Of stock became centered in few
business men who were not grain
growers. These men held a major
ity of the stock and were in full
contrc.. They began squeezing down
the prices to the producer until they
were paying him no more than the
privately owned elevator companies
paid
The trustful farmers continued to
deliver their grain for time and the
business men in control received a
forty per cent dividend At the end
of the year, however, the farmers real
lied that they we're being imposed
upon and the next year abandoned the
project, and hauled their grain else
where. AS a result this cooperative
effort which had been at first an ex-
ceedingly profitable venture became
SO absolute failure that it was with
difficulty that the shareholders dis
posed of their building and equipment.
What Unfair Competition Will Do.
In another section of the Northwest
the farmers short time ago were re-
ceiving from four to eight cents below
the Minneapolis market for all grain
delivered Moreover they could get
no more for the finest grain than for
the low grade. The grain was han
died by line of fifteen or twenty pri-
vately owned warehouses operated by
a company which had practically a
monopoly of the grain buying business
over considerable extent of territory.
The farmers at one shipping point be-
came dissatisfied, organized a cooper
ative company. got together little
capital, and built an elevator Immed-
lately the old company offered those
delivering grain at that one point
Minneapolis prices for their grain
while at other shipping points the
prices remained the same Prices
were repeatedly advanced until they
we're SO high that it was evident that
the privately owned elevator COM
panies we're taking a loss. recouping
themselves, however, by continuing
to pay unreasonably low prices at the
other shipping points at which were
owned by them. The farmers had
entered into no contract to furnish
their product exclusively in the CO
operative warehouse Each individual
member exercised his right to sell his
| grain to the rival concern The CO
| operative warehouse was deserted, the
company had no business, and soon
| disbanded The sequel was, however
that as soon as the cooperative con
!, Germ failed the privately owned eleva
/ tors again dropped the price paid al
that point for grain and the farmers
were again at their mercy.
European Failures.
There have been failures in Euro
pean cooperation also. You cannot
talk cooperation in Germany Ions
| with anyone familiar with the genera
situation without having your atten
ton called to the fact that co-opera
tion has received one black eye. Year.
ago the government, anxious to aid il
the marketing of grain, devoted
considerable amount of money to tn,
erection of elevators or corn houses.
loaning the money to local co-opera
LIVE CO4GCi LID WuOSG OTRaulZaLIQn 1
fostered and supervising the erection
in each case of rather imposin
structure. 1t would seem that th
government generously tempted tn
promoters to unreasoning extravs
gance. How could you expect ou
\ people to calculate closely when the
had this heap Of unearned none
forced upon them?" one man re
marked. Everything was done on
costly scale. The storehouses wer
! too big. They were not carefully X
Gated Into these concerns crept, ais
a desire to speculate, to corner tn
grain supply, to do in Germany whs
Letter was reported to have done i
J America, Ito capture the grain ma
!, ket
, Everyone persuaded himself, it
: said, that he was going to grow ric
: by appropriating by. degrees til
; wealth thus to be gained. They ha