American Falls press. [volume] (American Falls, Idaho) 1907-1937, 1914-03-26

OaOAAAH IL AhA4 ACA1 - LIZ A-1oAC
in cooperation. 1t is not a cure-all
for economic ills. Cooperative con-
Germs succeed because they employ
good business methods. In fact Co
operative marketing is good business
and good sense and intelligence APP
piled to farm marketing. This is the
biggest and most important lesson to
be learned in Ireland. AS Rev. Fa-
Their Finley, a great believer in CO
operation, says in an article in the
Constructive Quarterly, That it has
been productive of much material
good to those who employed its meth
DDS with intelligence and energy, is
beyond question; that it has been
barren of useful results where those
qualities were wanting is equally IN
deniable."
Cooperative marketing succeeds in
things: % Good business methods
and intelligent management; (2) A
uniformly high quality of product;
.(3) justice, equality and loyalty
among members. Without these char
%acteristics cooperation fails in Ire
land and fails everywhere. These are
the lessons that Ireland has to teach
America. No group which does not in
sist Upon running it's cooperative con
Germ along these lines can succeed.
To tolerate poor business methods, lax
ity as to quality, or disloyalty and in
justice to each other is to fail.
These are some things Americans
will not be required to experiment
upon, because the Irish have already
tried them out.
Simply Good Business.
Irish cooperation makes money for
farmer and city consumer alike. II
has succeeded in bringing the producer
and consumer nearer together. The
farm products go directly to the city
consumer. The product arrives in
good shape. 1t brings only a reason
able price. The result is that city
man and farmer profit by the more
economical method of distribution
But cooperative marketing after al
simply good. common sense and Ell
/ cient business. There is nothing mys
terious about it. As we have said
there is in it no magic. The good
cooperative marketing concerns over
here succeed because they are well
organized. we'll managed, intelligently
! governed. carefully supervised; be
cause they are simply efficient bust
ness organizations in which 100 OF
1000 non with a common occupation
and a conner interest get together
Tor a united. harmonious effort in
which every man does his full share
over here it is always one mai
one vote. One lesson that Ireland
ha Or America is that no mar anS
no small group of men can be permit
ted to control any cooperative organ
lzation. The principal OF Il man on
vote must prevail. The man who nai
invested $1,000 must have 70 mor'
voting power than the mcn who hat
Invested only SIS. Men. not prop
ertv vote" is another expression
used here. Under this system no maj
can use the cooperative society for nj
own selfish ends. The poorest farmer
attend the meetings. and if they shoV
ability. 20 upon committees and be
come officers. The organization /
most essentially democratic.
All Profits to the Producer.
The purpose back of cooperative
organization differs from that bac'
Of a commercial enterprise. 1t seek
rot TO make dividends for the ma
no invests his money, but to prS
ide that the producer shall receiv
he largest possible percentage OF IN
price paid by the consumer. lreian
has found by experience that wher
large profits are paid to the investor
the real purposes Of cooperation ar
not served. One case is recorde
where American fruit growers organ
izer a so-ealled cooperative concer
upon the joint stock plan. They Il
veisled into the venture a large nun
Der of smaller growers who had httl
money to invest. but in the aggrega'
a very considerable amount OF tru
to market. The ones who investe
largely were in control and procee'
ed to make large profits for Thea