Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1914-11-25

lions were aflliated with the Irish
Agricultural Organization Society
which from the first has been the
power that has made cooperation pos
sible in the island. It is rigid rule
of this organization society that no
local society belonging to it can under
any circumstances pay to exceed five
per cent per annum upon it's shares OF
stock The moment the shareholders
conceive the organization is one
which is to earn large dividends, that
moment its usefulness ends. More
than one American cooperative enter
prise has been wrecked upon these
rocks.
Following some bitter experiences,
it has been found necessary to adhere
rigidly to the principle that no matter
what mans investment may be, he
may have only one vote in the man.
agement of the concern. Experience
has shown that this avoids iealousies,
and suspicion, and discord, and pre-
vents mismanagement.
DisIoyaIty Of Members.
One of the great stumbling blocks
In cooperative success in America has
been the disloyalty of the members
themselves. AS soon as a cooperative
marketing concern is organized pri-
vately owned company is likely to Of
fer an advanced price-one consider
ably above that which the cooperative
concern is offering and possibly one
much higher than the condition Of the
market will justify. In America hui
man nature, like human nature in
general, is selfish and it is difficult for
the farmer to see why he should sacri-
flee five cents a bushel upon his grain
out of a mere sentiment of loyalty to
the cooperative enterprise. As re-
suit he almost inevitably takes his
grain to the privately owned concern.
His neighbors do the same and soon
the cooperative concern is on the
rocks and is abandoned. No observer
of American commercial methods
needs to be told the next step. The
privately owned concern Immediately
lowers the price, the farmer Is where
he was before but by his own disloyal-
ty he has made it practically impossi-
BILE for any other cooperative con-
Germ ever to be organized in the COM
munity.
European cooperation has had the
same experience. 1t was originally
hard for the European farmer to real
/ lie that he should sacrifice limited
amount of present profit in order to
demonstrate his loyalty to the con-
Germ and to secure ultimate success.
The situation, however, no longer
arises where cooperation has become
fairly established.
Quality and Control.
Another characteristic common to
all cooperative organizations which
we visited in these four countries ia
that where the society is a marketing
concern it insists upon the highest
quality and in order to get it exercises
absolute control over the acts Of it's
members so far as these acts contrib
ute to the quality of the product. Such
successful dairying institution as the
Trifolium dairy of Denmark has most
rigid rules to which all members must
subscribe. There must be monthly
inspection by the veterinarians repre-
senting the society; COW found to be
unhealthy or defective must be with.
drawn; the slightest illness on the
part of the COW must be reported and
the milk kept separate; detailed re-
quirements as to ventilation, cleanlt
ness, handling of milk and milk cans
must be Observed; the milk Of cows
which have not been inspected must
not be mingled with those which
have; milk must be cooled within one
hour after it is MIXED in order that
psychological growth may cease;
cans must be cleaned in certain
way: In fact everything is done which
can be done to improve the quality OF
the milk and the butter and other
products handled by the Trifolium
dairy.
Central Association Needed.
Experience in these foreign coun'
tries has also demonstrated that no
local cooperative concern is sufficient
unto itself. The manager of a CO.
operative egg marketing institution in
northwestern Ireland may know all
about poultry raising and egg produc-
ton, may be skilled in the art of pack,
ing his eggs, and know something in
general about marketing 1t is imposr
sible for him, isolated as he is, to
know from day to day where there is q
demand for his product. AS result il
is found necessary in Ireland to have
these cooperative concerns affiliated
with the Irish Wholesale Society, with
headquarters at Dublin.
The same principle exists in Ger
many but is worked out in another
way. The necessity of federation ia
recognized, however, in all countries
although the way in which the local
organizations are affiliated into cen.
trail organization varies under the con.
ditions of the various countries.
Europe's Unanimous Verdict.
Europe's cooperative message ia
briefly to this effect:
l. Cooperative societies cannot be
dividend paying concerns. All profits
must 60 to the producers as additional
price for goods delivered.
2. Each member must vote once
and only once regardless Of his finan-
cial investment.
3. Each member must make con.