Shoshone journal. [volume] (Shoshone, Idaho) 1884-1931, 1914-01-30


meal and sugar In one case, for ex
ample, where a rival trader was charg
ing s3.07 for seven stone of -four we
were offering the same -four at s2.25
for the seven stone.
you may be interested in knowing
about what an average family here
has for an income, where he gets ii
out a little statement so you could
figure that out. To begin with, every
farmer has his own potatoes and oats.
Besides this, his income is something
like this:
Eggs and poultry, per week, about
five shillings 1865 per year,.
Butter for about Is or 20 weeks in
summer. one to two shillings (s7 per
year,.
Sale of cattle possibly IL pounds
each year 1850 per year,.
Sale of sheep. one pound (s5 per
year,.
"A total Of s197 per year.
Besides this. the women earn a
little something by knitting sweaters
ana making lace, etc.
Marketing Eggs.
You will notice that eggs are our
staple product The average poor
farm family around here gets each
year from II to 10 pounds out of their
eggs, which is generally about half
of their entire money income. Before
we took hold, however, egg raising
was not at all profitable. There was
no steady market, the farmers did not
understand poultry, and no one had
any ambition to learn anything about
it. They didn't take care Of their
eggs well and few were sold.
Previously the local price was two
or three pence less than the price
quoted in the nearest market in Straw
bane and Derry. Now the prices paid
are from one to two pence above the
prices quoted in these markets. In
other words, we have increased the
value of a dozen eggs from three to
four pence (six to eight cents) For
the entire district, this amounts to
quite a sum You must remember
also that while we purchased only
one-tenth of the eggs sold in this par
ism. the fact that we at Dunglow are
paying the prices which we pay has
made it necessary for every other
buyer in the entire parish to pay the
same price.
Irish Lace and Knitted Goods.
Our cooperative company looks af-
ter a good many things besides sell
ing eggs and butter. We are helping
the girls market their lace and knitted
work. Two years ago we asked the
government department to send US an
instructor to teach the girls to make
hand-knit sport coats (sweaters).
They sent man to look it up. He
talked with some of the men here
who were not friendly to this COOP
erative movement Nothing was done.
Our girls were getting one shilling
six pence (36 cents) for knitting a
dozen pairs Of socks, using up from
three and a half to four pounds of
wool. These socks were purchased of
the women by an agent of a whole
sale trader.
THE cooperative society decided
they could do better by the girls than
these buyers. Since they started buy
ing, the girls get seven shillings six
pence (s1.S7) from the society for
knitting a sweater coat, using only two
pounds of wool and taking only one
half as long as dozen pair of socks.
Putting it another way. for the same
amount of wool and the same time
spent in knitting, the girls get 10 /
shillings (s3.75) instead of one shil- /
ling six pence (36 cents). That is, our
society is paying them ten times what |
they used to get from the other buy I
ers for their knitting. Formerly the /
girls who knit lace were bound by |
bargain under which if they sold to /
any one privately they were boycott /
ted. The buyer told them unless they (
sold him all he would buy nothing. :
Now we are getting fairly good prices
for the lace, better than they got be-
fore and we, of course, permit them to
sell wherever they can. They fire.
luently have oportunity to sell to
tourists and others who come through n
here. While We get fairly good prices \
Tor the lace, there is no steady market
for it, as there is for the knitted
goods.
Connected With Central Society.
Our little local society could not
stand alone and do what we are try
ng to do. We are helped all the time
,y Sir Horace Plunketts organization
ociety and by the Cooperative While
;ala society at Dublin. Each week
he wholesale society sends US a fore
asst giving the figures that should be
obtained for eggs, butter and chick
ms, and stating whether or not there
S to be demand for these products
Zach day we write to the wholesale
ociety, telling them what we have
n hand and what we will likely have.
sometimes we telegraph. Then they
nay either write or telegraph back
that they want us to send and when
nd where to send it. We send it, not