The farmer and mechanic., 1915-03-16
THE COMMUNITY ORGANIZED
J FOR NEIG1BORHOOD PATRIOTISM
Outline Of MethCd a for Securing Local Cooperation in
for Business and Five for Social Needs

weekly News Letter of United |
states Department of Agriculture |
scheme for the organization of |
vural communities for both business
md social purposes is worked out in |
al article which is to appear in the |
forthcoming Yearbook of the De-
eartment of Agriculture and which /!
has already been printed as a pamph- |
Get for the use OF the department.
office of Markets and Rural Organi-
-ation.
The scheme calls for 10 commit
Ases. 5 Of which are to deal with bus
ness needs and with social needs
Evary member of the organization
Is to serve on some one of these COM
nittees In addition there is to be
a central OF executive committee
composed of the president of the or
.auization, it's secretary, its treas
arer and the chairman of the 10
other committees. This central body
Is 10 direct the general policy Of the
7rganization, raise all funds and con-
1rol their expenditures. The commit
Ices that are to deal with the busi-
ness interests Of the commounity are
IS follows:
J. Committee on farm produc-
ton.
. Committee on marketing.
g. Committee on securing farm
supplies.
J. Committee on farm finance and
accounting.
E. Committee or communication
and transportation.
Similarly, the five committees that
attend to the community's social in
terests will deal with:
!. Education.
. Sanitation.
3. Recreation.
4. Identification.
:. Household economies
Work on the Committees.
The work of most OF these commit
tees is indicated sufficiently clearly
by their titles. For example, the
committee on production can DO much
good by improving the breeds Of live
stock in n community through CO.
operative purchases OF purebred
males. 1t can encourage the forma-
don Of corn, poultry, pig, cattle,
canning, and gardening clubs, which
have already demonstrated their value
in the sections where they have been
established, and it can carry on use
ell studies of the type of agriculture
best fitted to local conditions.
In the same way the committee or
marketing can secure the standardi-
Zation OF the communitys products
and thus obtain better prices than are
possible when nondeScript goods are
dumped upon the market. The com.
mittee can also search tut the bes
markets, make contracts on a large
scale which will be more favorable
than any individual can secure fol
himself, and in many other way!
economize in the selling Of the com
munitys goods. Even if cooperative
marketing is not actually resorted to
The information which the committee
collects can hardly fail to be Of grea
iSf1 10 ba .r,I; hi II,
perS.
AS tO Cooperative Purchasing.
Just as the committee on market
Ing can facilitate selling, the commit
tee on farm supplies can econo
mize in buying. Farmers are warn
ed however, not to underestimate tn
cost of running store or CONNER
clai agency, and not to overestimat
the saving which this can effect. Th
cooperative society, Of course, doe
away with the necessity of tn
stores making profit, but somebod
must manage the store and tina
somebody must be paid for his tim,
dia salary, therefore, corresponds i
way to the ordinary stores prof
and it is not always possible to Sc
cure good man for less than
would be able to make in bushes
aor himself. There are, howeve
several methods of purchasing farl
supplies comparatively which will /
tound to be of advantage. The sin
oiest Is the joint order, in which
group OF farmers can buy give
arucle in large quantities, theret
euecting a considerable saving in tt
expense of handling, commission
etc. Sometimes when this method
adopted warehouse is added, whiC
owned or rented cooperativel
and in which the goods are stored I'll
ui the associated purchasers nee
them.
III these two methods have bee
Irled and found successful, it may
desirable to carry them out to the
logical development and conduct
cooperative store which renders Il
SaIne service To its customers that