Montpelier examiner. [volume] (Montpelier, Idaho) 1895-1937, 1914-03-27


large profits are paid to the investors
the real purposes Of cooperation are
not served. One case Is recorded
where American fruit growers organ
izer a so-called cooperative concern
upon the joint stock plan. They in
weighed into the venture a large num-
Der of smaller growers who had little
money to invest, but in the aggregate
a very considerable amount Of fruit
to market The ones who invested
largely were 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 a result the small growers
were forced out OF business and out
of the country.
Here in Ireland SO well established
is this principle that 1t is a definite
rule that no cooperative society can
pay more than s per cent per an
mum upon the stock held by the share
holders.
Must Market Through the Society.
| Every time that any group of Amer
lean farmers have organized CO.
operative marketing concern they have
met sharp and often unfair competi-
ton The other established buyers
have offered prices which we're higher
than the cooperative society could
offer without taking loss. Often they
succeed in coaxing the members of
the cooperative society from its sup
port. 1t is hard for a farmer who is
receiving only 80 cents per bushel
for his potatoes at a cooperative ware
house to refuse as cents offered by
some independent buyer. But the un'
varying subsequent history is, OF
course, that as soon as the co-opera-
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,
To obviate 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 1t is useless to be
. gin. They are warned that they will
be approached by independent dealer
I and offered higher prices. But thu
warned and informed upon the sub
: ject, the organizers of Irish co-opera
r tive societies have had little difficult,
/ in obtaining from the prospective mem
r bers an agreement to market all 0
/ their produce through the concern
. Importance of Quality.
AS we have said, there is no magi
D in cooperation. Cooperative market
! ing simply means that the farm pre-
! duce Ia to be marketed in a business
: like way without undue waste dui
I ing the process. Pioneers In Irish CT
9 operation soon found that after the
8 had discovered the best market an
g after they had organized the co-oper'
. tive society, and after the member
had agreed to bring all their produC
o to the company, cooperation was sti
an absolute failure whenever the men
. bers of the society delivered even o
. casionally, inferior goods and mingle
them with the better goods. A cream
, cry puts out 100 pounds of good bu
. ter; II the next pound is bad buttG
the market for the butter of thu
70 creamery is ruined without high ur
B. form quality cooperation cannot su
n coed. 1t becomes necessary therefor
. for the members all to cooperate
of producing cream that 10 OF the highe
"a possible quality and reaches Il
d. creamery in the best condition. b
3. Irish experience demonstrates that
II private concern can compete in qus
| - q,
1t private concern can control the pro
n uct from its original source.
al Control" lie Requisite.
OF Quality can be produced by the c
lie operative society, because these co
re Germs reach out to the, farm
" self 1t is not enough that a creal
IN cry has the best and latest metho
IN of making butter and marketing
es If the cream comes in from the far
N in bad condition. the butter is be
no To make good butter you must cont
Vn the COW, and her feed, and her cal
ne and the stables, and the milk pa
IS and even the milk can used In del
- cry.
IS Certain rigid rules and conditio
IS are laid down by the creameries the
Up selves. and approved by central co
mittee. Each creamery participant
in the scheme is required to give II
We access during the working hours TO I
OK ofaeers of the l. A o. S. that they N
ks inspect the premises and books. che
an the records, examine any butter
ro- stock, and take for analysis samp
we of cream and butter Each creams
he IS bound to maintain the most
nd maculate cleanliness, accept only m