Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1914-03-25

. has found by experience that where
large profits are paid to the investors
the real purp oses OF cooperation are
not served. One case !: Is recorded
where American fruit growers organ
izer q so-called cooperative concern
upon the joint stock plan. They in
weighed into the venture q large num-
Der Of smaller growers who had little
money to invest, but in the aggregate
a very consid erable amount Of fruit
to market. The ones who invested
largely we're in control and proceed
ed to make large profits for them
selves as investors, and ignored the
interests Of the fruit growers them
selves. AS result the small growers
were forced out Of business and out
of the country. NJ Is; 5 "a
S5 Here in Ireland SO well established
Is this principle that it is a definite
rule that no cooperative society can
pay more than 5 per cent per an
mum upon the stock held by the share
holders. M
@ Must Market Through the Society.
Every time that any group Of Amer
lean farmers have organized a co.
operative marketing concern they have
met sharp and often unfair competi-
ton. The other established buyers
have offered prices which were higher
than the cooperative society could
offer without taking q loss. Often they
succeed in coaxing the members of
the cooperative society from its sup
port. It is hard for q farmer who is
receiving only IS cents per- bushel
for his potatoes at a cooperative ware
house to refuse IS cents offered by
some independent buyer. But the un-.
varying subsequent history Sis. OF
course, that as soon as the co-operar
tive concern is put out of business by;
this sort of competition prices drop,
and the farmer Is where he was be-
fore, and HELPLESS in the hands OF the.
Independent buyers, {. II. ii
TO Sobviate this difficulty In Ireland,
It has been found necessary to ex-
plain the situation fully to the pros
pective members OF the cooperative.
organization to state to them that un-
less they are willing to agree to mar
ket all their product through the co.
operative society it is useless to be-
gin They are warned that they viii
be approached BY Independent dealers
and offered higher prices. But thus
warned and informed upon the sub
Ject, the organizers Of Irish co-opera-
tive societies have had little difhculty3
In obtaining from the prospective mem
5bers an agreement to market all Of
their produce through the concern.
Importance Of Quality. Il 5
~ we have said, there is no magic
in cooperation. Cooperative market
ing simply means that the farm pro
duce is to be marketed in q business
like way without undue waste dur
ing the process. Pioneers In Irish co.
operation soon found that after they
had discovered the best market and
after they had organized the co-opera-
tive society, and after the members
had agreed to bring all their produce
to the company, cooperation was still
an absolute failure whenever the mem
bers of the society delivered even oc'
scasionally, inferior goods and mingled
them with the better goods. A cream
cry puts out 100 pounds Of good but
ter; if the next pound is bad butter
the market for the, butter OF that
creamery is ruined. Without high uni
form quality cooperation cannot sue
coed. It becomes necessary therefore
for the members all to cooperate In
producing cream that is OF the highest
possible quality and reaches the
creamery in the best condition. But
Irish experience demonstrates that no
private concern can compete in quail
ity with cooperative concern, for no
private concern can control the prod
uct from it's original source.
:"controi" 10 Requisite.
Quality can be produced by the CO.
operative society, because these con-
Germs reach out to & the farm it.
sell. It is not enough that cream
cry has the best and latest methods
Of making butter andt marketing it.
II the cream comes in from the farm
in bad condition, the butter is bad.
To make good butter you must control
the COW, and her feed. and her care,
and the stables, and the milk pail,
and even the milk can used In deliv-
cry.
: Certain rigid rules and conditions
are laid down by the creameries them
selves, and approved by a central COM
mittee. Each creamery participating
in the scheme is required to give free
access during the working hours to the
officers of the I. A. o. s. that they may
inspect the premises and books, check
the records, examine any butter in
stock, and take for analysis samples
of cream and bitter. Each creamery
is bound t. maintain the most i'm
cleanliness, accept only milk !
seemingly trustworthy statements !
have been made as to the Ill effects