Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1917-02-28
COOPERATIVE CREAMERIES.
Warm Discussion of This Question
Started by Editorial.
Newport, W.T..

Newport, VT.
Editor Monitor:
come to the defence of the coop
erative creamery idea, in reply to an
editorial copied in your paper from
the Express and Standard.
There was a time some years ago
when such sentiments as expressed in
this editorial would have been favor
ably received (even by large num-
Der of farmers) after several OF the
cooperative creameries had been sold
out to larger companies, for various
reasons.
Cooperative creameries have been
in successful operation for many
years and have proved that the prin-
ciple was right if rightly handled.
The conclusions reached as a result of
a recent survey by the office of Mar
kets and Rural Survey organization
Of the department of agriculture, of
60 cooperative stores (the general
principle is the same as for creamer-
ies) as to why they were not as sue
cessful as the cooperative stores OF
Europe, was due not to the failure Of
the underlying principles, but to bust
ness methods, such as poor business
methods, mismanagement,l lack of CO.
operation. Now banks fail, but we
without them. Railroads go into the
hands of the receiver, yet we must
have transportation. Failures occur
in business, and occasionally a news
paper has to suspend publication be-
cause of lack ofsupport. After all
cooperation is the harmonious work
ing together of all the agencies that
make up a successful business, news
paper or community. Farming is
business and the successful farmer
must be an efficient business man.
This is becoming more apparent as
the years go by.
This editorial says, "Many of our
monumental creameries-now extinct
paid our farmers a higher rate for
their milk and cream than"-some Of
our privately-owned creameries-"ev-
er thought of paying. How did they
do it? AS it Eventually proved they
didn't do it. In most cases these Won
derful, high-price-paying creameries
cheated the farmers out of from one
to four or more months of cream
greenbacks and then went into insol-
Vency to put themselves on an honest
basis to start a new deal" 1t is not
what some Of our creameries thought
or never thought of paying, what have
they paid and what are they paying
today, and what are the prospects
for the future. Even now one con-
tractor has cut the price of milk to
the farmer Is cents per hundred for
the month Of February and at the
same time advanced the price to the
consumer in Boston y cent per quart.
Can Mr.. Hildreth cite a case where a
cooperative reamery-among the
towns where their monuments can be
traced-has gone into insolvency, or
where they have not paid for the
product purchased? Come down
from your $50 we have been told" po-
sition and look into the true facts of
the case.
If there is such a "mistaken idea''
as to the better price farmer will re-
ceive, why did the Boston Chamber of
Commerce recommend in the report
of it's investigation of the dairy in
dustry in 1914, that the PRODUCERS
SHOULD ESTABLISH COUNTRY
have facilities for the disposal of their
product in the manufacture of butter
or cheese, if they were unable to Sc
cure satisfactory prices from the
dealers? Why has the cooperative
creamery at Irasburg benefited the
farmer at least one cent extra for
several years? Why has the La
noble Valley Creamery (cooperative)
at East Hardwick paid 3 to 3.78 cents
more per pound for butter fat for
1916 than their large competitors
Why has the the Mt. Mansfield
Creamery association cooperative
paid for 1916, 3.67 to 445 cents per
pound more than they are getting in
Newport? Not such a "mistaken
idea after all.
Again "at least we would want to
know why their market is so much bet
ter than is the market of those who
have been in the business for years."
Price is governed by supply and de-
mand, the difference comes Through
saving expense between the cow
and the city market"
We read: "Now there may be a
gold mine for every farmer who joins
in this 19th-century cooperative
creamery movement" The farmers
are not after gold mines or gold
bricks, all they ask is cost of their
product plus reasonable profit, the
same as any good business man asks
and must have if he continues in bust
ness. Why did the dairy industry of
Massachusetts, decline to such an
alarming state in the last Is years
so that the farmers sold their COWS
and went into some other line of ag-
riculture that was more profitable
Why have the milk contractors been
reaching up into Vermont and Quebec
for milk and cream? Why are the
Boston contractors getting milk and
cream from 26 points in Quebec, the
money for this going back into Cana
da, Montreal and eventually London ?
Is there any business or economic rea-
son why the dairy industry should be
fostered? Certainly we have every
reason for it. It is our main bust
ness and on it depends the prosperity
of our county, towns and commune
ties. There may be difference OF
opinion as to how this may best be ac-
complished but the signs of the times
point to concerted action, and cooper
ative institutions all over the country