La Junta tribune., 1914-05-02
Co. Operative Farm
Products Marketing
How II Is Done In Europe and May Be Done
in America to the Profit Of Both
Farmer and Consumer
COOPERATIVE LESSONS LEARNED IN lREL AND
BY MATTHEW .. oUooeoM.

Uolu. lrelduu-i ncIo - No HdeiC
in cooperation. II is not . cure-all
for economic ills. cooperative con-
Germs succeed because they employ
good business methods. In fact CO.
operative marketing is good business
and good sense and intelligence ap-
piled to farm marketing. This is the
biggest and most important lesson to
be learned in Ireland. As Rev. Fa-
ther Finley. . great believer In CO.
operation. says In an article In the
Constructive Quarterly. That II has
been productive OF much material
good to those who employed its meth
DDS with intelligence and energy. 10
beyond question: that 1t has been
barren of useful results where those
qualities were wanting is equally un.
deniable."
Cooperative marketing succeeds in
Ireland because II stands for three
things: ll Good business methods
and intelligent management. t2l A
uniformly high quality Of product: !:
! t0 justice. equality and loyalty
among members. Without these char.
aeteristics cooperation fails in Ire.
land and fails everywhere. These are
the lessons that Ireland has 10 teach
America. No group which does not In.
slst upon running its CO operative con.
oern along these lines can succeed.
To tolerate poor business methods. lax.
ity as to quality. or disioyaity and In.
Justice TO each other is to fall
These are some things Americans
will not be required TO experiment.
upon. because the Irish have aisead:
tried them out
Simply Good Business
Irish cooperation makes money for
farmer and city consumer alike. II
has succeeded In bringing the producer
and consumer nearer together The
farm products 20 directly 10 the city
consumer. The product arrives In
good shape. II brings only reason.
able price. The result Is that city
man and farmer proa, by the moro
economical method OF distribution.
Hut cooperative marketing after all
ls simply good. common sense aud en-.
Client business. There IL nothing mys.
ierious about H. A. We have said.
ther. IN IN II no magic The good
cooperative marketing concerns over
hero succeed because they are well
organized. well managed. ligentiy
governed. carefully supervised: BE-
eaus. they are simply efficient busi.
ness organizations in which 100 or
1000 men with common occupation
and a common interest get ioEethes
for a united. harmonious Effort In
which every man does his fun hare.
over her. Il IL always "nue man
one vote " One lesson that Ireland
has for America Is that no man and
no small group o: men can be permit.
ted TO control any cooperative organ.
iEatlon. The principal Of one nan one
vote mus, prevail Tn. man Who has
invested $1,000 mus, have no moro
voting power than the man Who has
Invested only 81. Men. no, prop.
ofty vote" II another expires ssiou
used here. Under this system no man
can use the cooperative society Tor BID
own selfish ends. The poorest iarruers
attend the meetings. and II they shov
ability. 20 upon committees aud b.
come officers. The organization Il
most essentially democratic.
Al Profits 70 the Producer.
The purpose back OF CO operative
organization differs from ,ha, hoet
Of . commercial enterprise. I, sset1
not 10 make dividends for the -
who invests his money. bu, 10 neo
vide that tho producer shall sscs1v1
the largest possible percentage Of ~
price paid By the consumer. tr.ianl
has found By experience shs, vher1
large profits are paid 10 the ,pyssfer1
the real pufposes Of cooperation ~
not served. One case IL recor1ol
where American fruit growers orsaa
lser Z socailed cooperative eonssr1
upon the Joint stock plan. rhsv -
weighed into the venture q lsrse ssn1
oss Of smaller growers Who hsd mr.
money 70 invest. but In the sss,sSs91
. very considerabie amount of IN
% market The ones Who ,nyeeaoI
lafsely ~efe 10 coairol aad procSsS