Connecticut western news., 1919-03-06
DAIRYMEN TO HAVE
 COOPERATIVE PLANTS Leagues New Plan Will Con- trol Surplus and Prevent
 Future Milk Strikes

legal papers at Albany, the Dairy mems League has this week started. what promises to be the largest ana most far-reaching cooperative move ment in the history of American ag-. riculture, if not of the world. This movement is q direct result of the dairymen's recent and constant trouble with the dealers, and if sue cessful, it will put all League mem-. bers on the same basis by operating returns from the milk; and it win take care of the surplus, increase the consumption of dairy products and prevent future trouble with the dealers. The plans will vitally iH- terest and concern every dairymen in Litchfeld County.
 Ever since the close of the strike, the League officers have been work ing hard to comply with the general demand from dairymen from an parts of League territory that some general plan be worked out immedf- ately to prevent future milk strikes These plans are not complete in de- tail, but in general they include the organization of first, the Dairymens League Co-Operative Association embracing the whole League organi- zation in New York State; second, Regional Co-Operative Associations covering possibly one or several counties; and third, the organiza- ton of Local Cooperative Associa- tions. Each of the regional and local associations will be directly irresponsible to the central organiza- tion, the Dairymen's League Co., Operative Association. .....
 Details of Plan
 These different cooperative asso- citations will sell or manufacture an of the League milk, and will pro rate to each member his equitable share from the total sum received from all League products. The cen tral association will proceed to build several very large central plant in. 4 different milk centers in the State In times of surplus the milk re- lceived at these plants will be mana~ factured into the by-product or bN- products which are paying the best 1 at the time. These products will [ be put on the market under the Dairymen's League Brand and ad- vertised. Local cooperative ship ping plants will probably be as- quired as soon as arrangements arc complete for handling the surplus. How It Will Be Financed
 Although to acquire and opcrap Ia great cooperative system whici~ will care for all League milk will cost several million dollars in tn aggregate, yet the cost will not be- seriously felt by any one dairyman- To raise the money necessary ts start with, the League will put on campaign in March to borrow money on certificates of indebtedness These certificates like bonds wilb come due in successive years. To pay them off when due, and to get operating expenses, a few cents a hundred will be deducted from eack members milk. New certificates wilR be issued for money so deducted to pay off old certificates and a rotating fund will be thus established.
 Dairymen all realize that as long as they are in a position where they have to ask the dealers to take aH their milk no matter how much they may produce and no matter what market conditions are, there is al ways a possibility of trouble. By the new plan, the dairymen will be in a position to sell the dealers just what milk they wish at a price which win always represent the cost of pTodue- tion plus a reasonable profit, and then they will take care of any sur plus themselves. Those who made study of the situation, also have found that if handled under right management and right conditions, there is a profit in the manufactured lby-products of milk at League prices But this profit cannot be realized by one or two cooperative plants opsr- lating alone, 1t is only possible where large amounts of milk can be concentrated, and the overhead ex- penses of manufacture thereby kept low and the combined products of many of these large plants handled and sold by one management and selling agency. For instance, the Borden's Condensed Milk Company made a good profit on their invest ment in 1918 because they did a large business under good manage ment, while there were smaller COZ idensing concerns that failed during the same year.
 The plan outlined by the League is not new. Litchfield County Fw-. mers know that nearly all of the Agricultural industry of both Ireland and Denmark and other European countries has been made highly sut cessful by close business co-opera- tion on q plan similar to that pre- posed by the Dairymen's League. Nearly everybody now buys Sunkist Oranges from California. In 1918