Mower County transcript., 1915-01-13
ON On IN COOPERATION
A Sound Business Organization
Necessary to Success.
A. Paper Read at the Summer Meeting
Of the St: Lawrence County Pomona
Grange by Charles s. Phelps, Mana
ger Of the County Farm Bureau.

oranges was to find out what was be-
Ing done at present and what in tho
Judgment of some Of the leading off,
GERS of the various oranges was most
needed in the way of cooperative buy
ing and selling. In order to get facts
bearing on these questions l have had
prepared and mailed to each subordi-
nate grange series of questions re-
garding what cooperative buying or
selling was being done already and
what, in the Judgment of the master
or other officer answering the ques-
t1ons, would be the most useful form
of cooperative buying and selling to
the particular grange for which the re-
port was being made. The response to
these circulars has been quite general.
as twenty-five oranges out Of total of
thirty-four in the county have reported
more or less definitely on the questions
asked
OF the twenty-five oranges reporting
seven report the cooperative buying Of
commercial fertilizers, seven report the
buying Of some form Of stock feeds,
ten report the buying Of seeds. six re-
port the buying Of groceries and one
reports the buying of farm imple-
ments. Under the heading of the ques-
ton. "What products have been
bought and sold?" not one grange re-
ports any cooperative selling. Under
the consideration of the question,
''What. articles, in your Judgment,
would be the most needful ones to buy
or sell comparatively by members of
your granger" of the twenty-five
oranges reporting fourteen recommend
the purchase of commercial fertilizers,
seventeen the purchase OF feeds, eight
the purchase of farm seeds, six the
purchase Of farm implements and FIVE
the purchase of groceries, Under the
heading of cooperative selling four
oranges recommend cooperation in tho
selling of dairy products, and two
oranges recommend in favor of the
selling of some other farm products.
r The facts bearing on grange cooper
alton, gathered by this partial survey
of the present situation in the county,
seems to indicate that the oranges, as
rule. are very much more strongly
in favor Of cooperative buying than
Of cooperative selling. Under the
heading Of the most useful articles to
purchase, fertilizers and feeds stand
about alike and are the two products
most generally recommended for CO.
operative purchase. Seeds and imple-
ments also stand nearly alike in the
number Of oranges recommending them
and are advised for purchase by about
half as many oranges us in the case
Of the other two classes Of materials
just mentioned.
On the whole, 1t seems to me that the
reports do not indicate that the desire
Tor cooperation Is very highly de-
veloped among the grange members
of this county. Of the twenty-five
oranges reporting only fourteen, which
is little more than half of those re-
porting, have reported any form Of CO.
operative buying.
Why more actual cooperation has
not been put into effect Is difficult to
explain. because where cooperative
buying has been practiced there is
ample evidence Of large saving Of
money. Perhaps the chief reason for
the failure to cooperate is the prev
afent overcauti0ugness which farmers
In general possess with regard to max
ing investments in advance of their
absolute needs. In some cases. Of
Z: course. the failure to have at hand
ready cash to put into investments Of
considerable size, for products needed
in advance, is a condition that it IS
dih1cult to overcome.
However. there ia no question but
that many farmers have money ut
interest which is bringing. them only
about 4 per cent which,; If used In
buying feeds or fertilizers for cash in
cooperation with others, might easily
! be made to earn 10 to 15 per cent.
s Another reason why cooperation has
!: not been more generally practiced is
\ becauss there has been no good system
d Of bu.';,ess machinery through which
the wors might be accomplished. Most
: granges have appointed a purchasing
+. agent, but he oftentimes has to as
: sumo large personal responsibility in
ordering goods and frequently gets no
+ commission. but often severe criticism
=: for assumed or possible mismanage.
ment
The speaker is decidedly Of the opin-
ion that grange cooperation on sound
+ business basis will not grow very much
among the oranges, or any other organ
ization or class Of people. until 1t can
be brought about through sound bust
ness organization. Fortunately such an
organization Of Il very simple nature Is
{ available throughta new law passed by
the legislature Of New York state
which provides for cooperative asso
js Citations, unions or clubs with limited
Il capital. which can be put into opera
3 ton. on a sound, legal business basis.
q would recommend that whereverp pos
s sible oranges should organize a coop
Z. erative purchasing club under the new
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