The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1914-01-23

Where the Cooperative CO
.Dungtow.i County Donegal Ireland
sshfs lis a story of the grand uphill
eight for eIf-respec economic in
dependence which is being made by
bunch of CHEEKY Irishmen in County
Donegal AZ the head of this fighting
group lis Paddy Gallagher. an organ-
lzer and a promoter IL there ever was
one. But Ia a promoter, not OF his
own fortunes. but the promoter Of
community welfare. This is also the
STORY of what a godsend cooperative
Organization can be to a community
which has been, in an economic sense,
hard stricken BY nature. Nature
seems to have exhausted herself in
che agricultural gifts she showered on
eastern and southern ireland and to
have reached Dunglow, in County
Donegal. with nothing left In her gift
bag except few little patches Of cold,
MnEaspUnsfVe soil which she scattered
here and 'Mere among the huge out
cropping 3@ucks of the, barren hillsides
stsEng letMeen the wide stretches of
desoSate Deet hogs.
In fsct, we are here because Sir
Horace Plunketts has said that this
Gs Che pIace OF all others to visit. II
we Americans wish to see what CO..
operation viii do toward helping an
British community scratch living ont
af Che rocky hills on the bleak north
We1EeEl cgast OF ireland.
WHO Paddy ls.
RAddy Gallagher was born forty
years ago On one of che poor one-room
cottages ON a barren three-acre ten
ant holding a cottage that had the
WOLF always at the door. When Paddy
was uine ne was put out to work at
Shrea sounds for aix months work.
His father did not do this sort OF
thing because he wanted the little
haIf.stasyad shaver to work beyond
Ills NfreH 9Th. but because it was either
work FOR Paddy or starvation for still
younger and weaker children. After
that there was nothing for Paddy but
hard work. and low wages until he
WAS gruWn and had started family
of Ilis own.
other places. Into Scotland and Eng
hand. andsiae came back with the real
] Gzation that life in bungalow was not
what It ought TO be. Uneducated.
Wurk-Worn. without any outlook Of
promise for himself or his family,
something brought Paddy Gallagher
che realization chat he and his neigh
hors together might do what each sep
erafeiy onuid not do. So, with the
assistance OK the Irish Agricultural
Organization society, cooperation was
hrnught "a bungalow.
Flow 1t Started.
gallagher. who had been studying
soils and manures. learned that ac-
curding To government analysts the
soil Of his section needed certain def
Mfte chemical elements. He asked To-
essi traders il they could give him any
guaranty of analysis OF the manures
sold By them. He was informed that
ahey meyer got such a thing, knew
soothing about It and could give no
wuarantx< He wrote to the agricul.
eilEaI department about it. They re-
6arred min to the Irish Agricultural
Wholesale a0Ctety From them he
aeaEned HAT saafs society at that time
dealt only with local cooperative
ennceFRa.
So fhls farm boy, with surprising
aRerelsta hcG. gathered together the
smaiisfarmers and pointed out to them
Gtg advantages to be gained as to
quality Rnd price by purchasing guar.
antaed tnanures direct from the Co
operative Wholesale society. The re,
suit WAS that the farmers ordered q
GfEtDn lot OF fertilizer through little
cooperative society in an adjoining
village They found that they saved
$20A ON the manures and besides Sc
cured super phosphate of 80 per cent
snsteHi Of % per cent. strength, and
dissolved bone instead of worthless
compounds The battle for co-opera
Atom Was already half won, for there
WsH un further question as to the ad
vanfages ia be gained through co
operation
The "combeen Man.
'aThe old methods OF buying and sell
ing were the cause of much poverty in
AJlis district" said MIR. Gallagher
sThe. traders have generally kept the
public; houses. They were gombeer
saen- money lenders. Poor farmer.