Graham guardian., 1916-03-19

| social needs. Every MEMBER OF tne
organization is to serve on some one
of these committees In addition
there is to be central or executive
committee composed of the prcsi-
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.
g Committee on marketing.
8. 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 Gear
by their titles. For example, the
committee on production can d"
much good by improving the breeds
of live stock in community through
cooperative purchases of pure bred
males. It can encourage the forma-
ton of corn, poultry, pig, cattle,
canning and gardening clubs, which
have already demonstrates 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
ardzatiOn of the community S 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
a large scale which will be more
favorable than any individual can
secure for himself, and in man,
other ways ec0nomi2e in the selling
of the community's goods Even if
cooperative marketing is not actual
ly resorted to, the information which
the committee collects can hardly
fail to be Of great assistance to the
individual shippers.
Just as the committee on mar
kcting can facilitate selling, the
committee on farm supplies can
economic in buying. Farmers are
warned, however, not to undrreStl
mate the cost of running store or
commercial agency, and not to over
estimate the saving which this can
effect. The cooperative society, OF
course, does away with the nrccS,
sity of the stores making a profit,
but somebody must manage the
store and that somebody must he
paid for his time. His salary, there
fore, corresponds in a way to ne
ordinary stores profit and it is not
always possible to secure d good
man for less than he would be ab e
to make in business for himself.
There are, however, several methods
of purchasing fam supplies co
operauveIy which will be found to
be of advantage. The simplest is
the joint order, in which group of
farmers can buy given article in
large quantities, thereby effecting u
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 in
which the goods are stored until the
associated purchasers need them.
If these two methods have been
tried and found successful, it may
be desirable to carry them out to
their logical development and con
duct CO operative store which rem
ders the same service to its Gus
toners that a private enterprise
would. This, however. inevitably
leads to complications and should
only be undertaken after some ex-
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.
quentIy not difficult if the commit
tee has thoroughly mastered the
subject and is able to put it clearly
before local bankers. Where the
local bankers are unwilling to finance