Fulton County tribune. (Wauseon, Ohio) 1883-1925, 1914-06-12

COp6nnagel, denmark - CO-Op6fd-
tive enterprises have revolutionized
agricultural Europe and now dominate
the rural life of the entire continent.
Without cooperation the Belgian
would not be the efficient agricultur-
ist which he is; Germany would not
have developed its agricultural posi-
bilities to the point where its home
grown food supply is SO nearly self
sufficient: Denmark would not be ex-
porting sixty million dollars worth OF
the best dairy products in the world;
Ireland would not be facing the future
with a hopefulness to which she has
been stranger ever since her lands
were confiscated as a result of the
early wars.
Belgium has 1900 rural organiza-
tions representing membership Of
100000. At Luyaine we saw single
federation Of cooperative farmers
league which represented member
ship of over $4,000 and did a business
mounting into the millions. In Ger
many it is estimated that there are
thirty odd thousand cooperative so-
cieties of various kinds and every So
ciety, with true German thoroughness
of organization federated, affiliated,
and associated until together they
form an Industrial unit with a mem
bership of over five million. In Den
mark one out OF every four inhabi-
tants belongs to a society engaged in
some cooperative activity. One man
will belong to eight or ten different
cooperative societies, each society
performing some necessary function
In the economic life Of the Individual
Permeates Danish Life.
To illustrate how cooperation per-
meates Danish rural life: At Freder-
ickssund while visiting the co-opera-
tive bacon factory we came in con-
tact with a little group OF farmers and
their wives who were inspecting the
factory the factory Of which they
were part owners. Upon getting them
In conversation we discovered that in
that little group of II persons, II diff
ferent cooperative organizations we're
I6pIC6CALCQs nCoC WC1G q CO-Ok0A a
tive bacon factory. a cooperative egg
export organization, cooperative
store, an organization for the cooper
ative purchase of fertilizers; coop
erative fire insurance society, Co
operative life insurance society, a SO
! ciety for the insurance of animals,
another society for the insurance OF
members against sickness, a co-opera.
tive credit society, a farmers water.
works company and an electrical sup
ply company. All of these men and
women were from the farm and were
of the ordinary type OF farmers, Meth
er rich nor poor but a thoroughly rep
resentative group. 1t is probable
Judging from our inquiries, that ir
any group of similar number would
have been found representatives of &
similar number of cooperative enter
prises.
In Ireland we found, that co-opera
ton, under the leadership of Sir Hor
ace Plunkett ably seconded by Rev
Thomas A. Finlay, George w. Rus
sell, and R. A. Anderson. has revolu
tionized rural Ireland In fact cooper
alton and the opportunities which
4 have come from the new land tenure
laws have well nigh remoulded ths
Irish race itself. It is evident that II
many sections his economic welfare
has been SO well served that the Irish
man is even losing his pugnacity. HI
is no longer necessarily sagin th'
government" but is becoming a vel
contented citizen more intent upon hi
economic situation than upon his pc
litical surroundings. He is losing hi
interest in politics and we talked tt
many who seemed loath even to dis
cuss SO important question as tn
home rule bill which was then pending
and over which the politicians wer
becoming excited The land tenur
law has made 1t possible for him t,
secure home; cooperation has mad
it possible for him to secure home
cooperation has made it possible 70
him to feed and clothe his family.
No one can make such trip of ir
vestfgation as we have made withou
becoming convinced that into Amer
can rural life must come some form Q
cooperative enterprise. If it costs a
much to take the farm produce fror
the farm to the city consumer as
does to produce 1t (and this is an az
mitted fact) 1t necessarily follows tina
our distributive system is wonderful
wasteful. How long will the INTEL
gent American farmer tolerate a syi
tenn which nets Him rs to so per Ger
of the retail price Of his farm produe
after he knows that the Danish farme
gets a little over ninety per cent