The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1915-04-08
AN OPEN LETTER.


columns about The Woodwork Farm
err Creamery. First the need. Ten
years ago this country was well sup
Piled with creameres many of them,
probably the majority, were 9 Farmer S
Cooperative Creameries, u but today
they are all closed. One after the
other from lack of patronage, they had
to close their doors. The lure Of bot
ting plant or shipping to Chicago,
with its seeming higher prices, enticed
patron after patron to leave the cream
cry, until the small amount of milk 90
ing there could not afford to paw the
running expenses, which did not de-
crease with the decrease in milk. And
so they closed their doors and the bal
ance of the patrons were added to the
shippers or sbottling plant pat
rons, and now we find ourselves in
just the same condition, as the poor
wheat raisers out west who haev no
graineries nor any Farmers Eleva-
tor they have to sell their wheat the
day it is threshed for what they can
get-we have a perishable product that
must be marketed, and no outlet but
the Chicago buyer. While as vet there
have been no serious losses, thinking
men, see the trend, and realize the con-
dltion the dairy interests of this sec
ton are in, and believe we cannot build
our Elevator any too soon.
Our plan-To building factory to
handle the surplus milk of our section
so that it will not be forced on the
market when market conditions are
not good
The shares to be small, $1,000 each,
SO even the poorest renter can afford
to buy one. Others may take more.
five the limit, so they will be as wide
~ distributed as possible.
Milk to be taken from stockholders
only. If you are not interested in your
own affairs, don t expect others to look
out for you. The man who don It be-
heve in fire insurance, and won t help
support his local mutual company.
rarely has neighbors who want to chip
IN should be burn out.
A charge Of three cents a pound to
be made for making butter, this is the
limit, it will never go higher.
If the three cents pound for the
making butter is not enough to pay
the expenses for the month, the stock
holders shipping or selling to the bot
ting plant to be assessed to make up
the deficiency, the assessment to be
levied according to the amount of milk
they produced and sold for the same
month. The factory is for all and all
should support it. If there is enough
surplus milk going to the factory SO
that three cents pound for the butter
made, pays the expenses, there will be
no assessment. IF there is not enough
It is proof that the milk is sold, or be-
lieved to be sold, to better advantage,
and they can afford to pay for their
insurance. / have paid fire insurance
for good many years and all / got
out OF it was the insurance, the feeling
of safety. I had ten times rather have
only that, than to suffer loss and get
my insurance money. The small assess
ment one might be called on to pay lis
their premium for insurance against
business loss In marketing the product
of their dairy.
One factory can take care of quite a
territory, because we do not compete
with other factories or shipping, but
supplement them, like a balance wheel
or governor, hold things steady. A
steam engine might develop Just as
much power without governor as
with one, but it would be up and down,
as the fire was low or hot So we can
hold the balance on contract day, and
not force milk on the market for which
there IS on demand, and let it on later.
when the demand will take care of it.
The larger the number of stockhold-
ers, the more milk tributary to the fac
tory the smaller the liability for assess
ment This also works to reduce La
bllity to assessment by the chance for
more milk to be made at the three
cent pound rate.
The expenses of the factory to be
all the regular running expenses plus
one per cent per month on the capital
stock paid in, to be set aside for a
sinking fund. The idea of the factory
is one of protection not investment we
are not investing for interest money as
commonly looked at. We do not look
for Dividends from the stock. So
to make the investment good we have
provided an ample sinking fund.
Figure on this and see what it means.
1t there is any surplus at the end of
the year, it will be divided as divi-
dend on the stock. Should it develop
that the factory had enough milk so
that the three cents pound paid the
expenses and more, then there would be
a dividend on the stock. It looks like
good investment. Five shares are all
that one person can hold, and the cost
of the plant, land, building and equip
ment, will limit the number of shares
issued.