Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1915-03-19
EXAMPLES IN FARMERS COOPERATION.


Kansas has succeeded in upsetting good many
traditions, economic and otherwise, and has
gained considerable fame and more notoriety by
so doing, for some may still remember that Kansas
was casually mentioned during the prohibition
campaign in this state last fall, to give one illus
tration. just now, when so much is said about
farmers combining together for cooperative sell
ing, the comment of an Eastern newspaper on
Kansas experience with this difficult line Of en-
deavor is most interesting. Mentioning the fact
that cooperation has generally been resorted to
in the past for the promotion of more economical
buying when industrial and financial conditions
have been such as to compel resort to unusual
means of saving this newspaper says:
kansas has turned to it in prosperity and for
the furtherance Of economical selling In Kansas
cooperation begins by building elevators for the
storage and holding Of grain the issue of storage
certificates, the insurance Of the farmer against
the glutted and cheapened market, against the
exactions Of the commission man or the manipula-
ton of the speculator. The Kansas farmer, work
ing in cooperation with his neighbors today, does
not have to sell his grain to meet his pressing ne
cessities, does not have to pay excessive storage
charges in order to hold it, is not so easily tempted
to ship it because there is bulge in Chicago
quotations. Cooperation enables him to bide his
time Cooperation in selling leads to co-opera-
ton in buying, and where both are operated
jointly, according to the Kansas method, they
show some astonishing results
The Topeka Capital recently printed an &C.
count Of the business transacted by the Mitchell
County Cooperative association for its last fiscal
year, just ended. The net profits are shown to
have been $27 900 on total capital of $4,000.
This is equal approximately to go per cent, which
in itself is remarkable exhibit But the associa-
ton has accomplished more It's browning achieve
ment that Of saving the farmers of the district
over which it's influence extends something like
$118O00 their wheat. In other words, it has
helped the farmers to escape what would have
amounted to loss of this sum had they been
without the means of holding their wheat for a
more favorable market"
Then it adds, as further and more general COM
ment SIN Kansas, as in other Central Western
states cooperation is being rapidly applied to the
marketing Of other things than grain; to garden
products, to poultry and to butter and eggs Co
operation in selling, indeed, is of greater impor-
lance to producers than cooperation in buying,
and the reverse of this is the case among con-
sumers; where it is possible to cooperate both in
selling and in buying the best results are OBJ
tained.'
There are lessons to be had here just as there
are lessons to be had in the wonderful success of
the Puyallup Sumner Fruit Growers associa-
tion nearer home, chiefly remarkable selling or
ganization emphasizing that feature of its opera
tions more than any other. It's success in this field
has been just as great as the example cited in
Kansas. Both show farmers anywhere in the
United States, without the necessity of expensive
junkets abroad, what farmers can do if they will.