Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1917-06-27

oAiS, Sio"Cd OH tiiC oSNcoiAsS -
treasurer in proper order and the
union in good financial condition
The report of General Manager F.
A. Bulge of Mattawamkeag was read
by Mr.. Bulge. and was received with
applause and then accepted. 1t was as
follows:
Managers Report
An expression of appreciation on my
part for the honor of being your man
ager is in order. | certainly do APP
preciate the compliment which the Of
flee of General Manager of the Farm
ers' Union of Maine carries with it.
Realizing the great responsibilities OF
the Office l assure you that l accepted
with great reluctancy, and that, after
1 had been assured of the untiring as
sistance Of your President Mr. Gard
ner.
AS manager Of our Potato Shipping
Union, composed of the Locals from
Bangor to Vanceboro, it has been my
pleasure to come in little closer touch
with our Central Organization than
that accorded the most of our local
members, and through this course, I
learned of the persistent efforts of our
Pr esident and Executive Board to
bring about in reality, those conditions
upon which our great organization was
founded, and which l knew were the
fcndest hspes Of every member Of our
Local Unions With these ideals in
view and having sincere confidence in
being backed up by our Local Unions.
we took up this work last Fall wien all
the enthusiasm at our command.
Whether or not we were to he success
full depended entirely upon the Local
Unions. and now in behalf of the EX-
eCutive Board and myself. | wish to
extend our cratefulness, through the
delegates of this meeting, to the man
ayers and members of the Local
Unions. who so nobly responded and
thereby made il possible for the FAR
mers' Union of Maine to be known
throughout our country as a business
organization. and attract the attention
Of the largest wholesale concerns in
the country. Hence the presence of
these distinguished gentlemen here
with us today.
AS your President has told YOU, we
have passed the experimental stage
Statistics prove to us that all things
iiuot DteNC lOulltdlIl Iledu, all SUI
cesSful lines of business points to one
center: therefore, if we would attain
that highest efficiency with which we
are all looking forward to, we must
work with this end in view, for we are
no exception. In order to bring this
point to your immediate attention, |
will take for example our local unions
Of which you and l are all members.
All Of us who have had the experience
OF helping to build up local union to
Its present state Of prosperity realize
what it means to have the confidence
and patronage Of every member and
every member realizes the benefits he
has derived through having an organ
ization properly managed. Now what
is true with the local union is doubly
true with your central organization.
In our travels among the different
Unions we learned that our most sue
cessful ones We're those that were in
active business the year round but.
In order to do this they were depend
ent on several small jobhing concerns
who were all in competition with each
other. 1t was therefore decided by the
Executive Board that the Farmers
Union Of Maine should take steps to
make contracts with large and relia-
BILE wholesale concerns whereby our To-
cal unions could buy their supplies d.
rect and save all the unnecessary COM
missions between the large whoesal-
ers and the unions. | wish to say-that
as Vet We have experienced very little
trouble Ing securing contracts, as all Of
the large concerns with whom we are
DOING h11cnaSc ho, OH
us with one or two exceptions
The opportunity for business which
we offer to the different Wholesale
houses through 81 local unions concen-
trating their business through the
Farmers Union of Maine. | assure YOU
looks very attractive For illustration,
we will take the sugar deal. the first
in nine months, and principally with
in the last six months. we have distrib-
uted over 100000 pounds and would
have exceeded this by far had the re-
finery been able to fill all of the orders,
and at the present time we have un-
ions who would buy by the carload
were the conditions such that the re-
flnery was able to make large ship
mcnts. What has been accomplished
with this line of goods can he dupli-
Gated in all the other lines, especial
ly those of which we are in need the
year round. Now in order to get the
best possible results we must learn to
anticipate our wants in. advance.
I wish to make special mention of
the Importance of the Central office at
Waterville knowing in advance the
amount of goods in the lines of fertil-
izer, small seeds. poisons and blue Wit
riol. for it is the quantity OF business
which we can give to any one concern
that gets the best price and also the
best service. There is right time to
buy everything and had we known ap-
proXimately the amount of bluestone
and poisons our unions were going to
use this year there might have been
great deal larger saving to our mem
bers than has already been realized.
While we appreciate very much the
manner in which you all have coop
Grated in this work during the past
season. and grateful to be able to re-
port the total amount of business more
than treble any previous period yet
with this we must not be contented.
There is great work to be done in
the future and in order to accomplish
all that we wish. every branch of our
organization, through its members.
must all put their shoulder to the