Graham guardian., 1915-03-19
Plan to Organize Rural Com
munities Business and So
cial Purposes


with business needs and five with
social needs. Every member of the
organization is to serve on some one
of these committees. In addition
there is to be a central or executive
committee composed of the prrsi-
dent of the organization, its secre-
tary, its treasurer and the chairman
of the ten other committees. This
central body is to direct the general
policy Of the organization, raise all
funds and control their eXpendi-
lures. The committees that are to
deal with the business interests Of
the community are as follows:
/. Committee on farm production.
2. Committee on marketing.
3. Committee on securing farm
supplies.
4. Committee on farm finance
and accounting.
Similarly, the five committees that
attend to the community's social in
terests will deal with:
|. Education.
2. Sanitation.
3. Recreation.
4. Identification.
5. Household economics.
The work of most of these com
mittees is indicated sufficiently clear
by their titles. For example, the
committee on production can do
much good by improving the breeds
of live stock in a community through
cooperative purchases Of pure bred
males. 1t can encourage the t0rma-
tion 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 useful studies Of the type
of agriculture best fitted to local
conditions.
In the same way the committee
on marketing can secure the stand
ardizaton of the community pro-
ducts, and thus obtain better price
than are possible when nOndescript
goods are dumped upon the market.
The committee can also search out
the best markets, make contracts on
large scale which will be more
favorable than any individual can
secure for himself, and in man
other ways cconomi2e in the selling
of the community's goods Even if
cooperative marketing is not actual
~ resorted to, the information which
the committee collects can hardly
fail to be of great assistance to the
individual shippers.
Just rs the committee on mar
keting can facilitate selling, the
committee on farm supplies can
ecunomze in buying. Farmers are
warned, however, not to undrreSu
mate the cost Of running store ur
commercial agency, and not to over
estimate the saving which this can
effect. Thr cooperative society, Of
course, does away with the npccS
sity of the stores making profit
but somebody must manage the
store and that somebody must he
paid for his time. His salary, there.
fore, corresponds in way to the
ordinary stores profit, and it is not
always possible to secure a good
man for less than he would he ab t
to make in business for himself
There are, however, several methods
of purchasing fam supplies co
OperatlveIy which will be found t,
be of advantage. The simplest is
the joint order, in which group OF
farmers can buy given article ii
large quantities, thereby rtfecting &
considerable saving in the expense
of handling, commissions, etc. Some
times when this method is adopted
a warehouse is added, which is own
ed or rented comparatively, and ir
which the goods are stored until the
associated purchasers need them.
Ii these two methods have beer
tried and found successful, it may
be desirable to carry them ont tC
their logical development and con
duct a co operative store which ren.
ders the same service to its Gus
toners that private enterprise
would. This, however, inevitably
leads to complications and should
only be undertaken after some rX.
perience with simpler methods of
cooperation.
With the committee on farm
finance and accounting the first
duty is to ascertain what farm en-.
terprises can safely be financed.
This is only possible when accurate
accounts are kept and carefully an
aIyZed. After this has been done,
! the next step is to secure the most
favorable terms for financing proper
and sound enterprises. This is fire.
quently not difficult if the commit
tee has thoroughly mastered the
! subject and is able to mt il clearly