The Logan Republican. [volume] (Logan, Utah) 1902-1924, 1915-09-11
Aids In Cooperation
Strong Capable Management and Sup.
port of All Members Essential
to Any Association

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too much difference between the price
paid TO the producer or food and the
price paid by the consumer has turn.
ed the attention of American farmers
more and more to cooperative mar
keting associations as promising
remedy. Producers of perishable pro
ducts have advanced the furtherest
in this direction and the best organic.
ed cooperative marketing associations
are now to be found among the Cali
fornia citrus fruit growers and among
the deciduous fruit growers of the Pa.
cific northwest. In general 1t may be
said that the most promising field for
such associations is in the marketing
of highly specialized and localized
crops.
The work of the marketing associ-
ations includes the establishing of
grades and standards; the adoption
of brands and trade marks; the Sc.
curing of capital and credit; proper
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of a meritorious but little known
product; discovery of new and extern
sion of old markets; securing inform
alton as to crop and market condi-
tons; the equitable division of prof
its; adapting production to meet mar.
ket requirements; the use of bypro-
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storage facilities; the cooperative
buying and manufacturing of sup.
plies; cooperative use Of expensive
farm machinery; securing of lower
freight rates, more equitable refrig-
GRAFTON charges, and more efficient
transportation service; the securing
of more and better labor; and the
general cultivation of spirit Of CO.
operation in all community affairs.
These objects can not be achieved
without strong, capable management,
If farmer has not enough faith in
the cooperative idea to go into the
enterprise with his whole heart, to
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the manager and work disinterested-
ly for the success of the association
as whole, he had better net become
member, for he will be far from
source of comfort to his partners.
The manager should be employed
by the board Of directors and should
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ploy and discharge all labor. He
should secure information as to cror
and market conditions and furnish
same to the members on request. He
should encourage the production OF
the best varieties of products de
manded by the trade. He should con
duct packing schools, in order that
growers may become trained in the
best methods Of grading, packing and
labelling their predicts. He should
have charge of the grading. packing
and inspection of all association pro-
ducts, and should have control of the
brands and labels, and their use on
the association packages, in accord.
ance with the rules of the associa.
ton. He should enter into contracts
for the sale of the association goods
He should have entire charge of the
marketing II all association goods,
subject only to the action of the board
of directors and the bylaws and rules
of the association. He can not be
held responsible II he is to be die
tated to at will by each member or
the officers are constantly to NEEDLE
with his work. This does not imply
that the manager should be a dicta.
tor. From the suggestions of the Of
ficers and members together with
those from his own experience he
constructs business plan. Whenever
a manager loses the confidence OF the
members, it is better to replace him
with n manager who possesses that
confidence. But no manager, how
ever competent he may be, can lead
cooperative association to success
unless he mas real cooperation from
the members. In cooperative circles
the disloyal member is the chief ele-
ment Of failure.
It would appear that owing to the
very fine principle of mutual help in
volved, those forming a cooperative
organization would be consistently
loyal in their mutual relationship.
But, on the other hand, unless excep-
tional care be exercised by the lead.
ers an organization from the begin
ming will be burdened with drones,
cheats, deadbeats, and traitors.
When a grower joins a cooperative
organization and then refuses to pat
ronize it, he is a drone. He can not
excuse himself even on the ground of
| had mana pement for N ia his duty