Imperial Valley press., 1919-07-15
BUSINESS METHODS Of
NORTHERN MILK PROD.
ASSNS. ARE QUESTIONED
SMALL COOPERATIVE FARMERS ORGAN
IZATTONS ARE BEING SWALLOWED UP
WHOLE ALL OVER STATE.


Elimination of the cooperative creameries is part
Of the program of the Sacramento promoters seeking TO
control the dairy industry in California
How this program of elimination was carried out in
Stansaus county casts grave doubt on the motives OF
the promoters
How the elimination of the cooperative creamerles
is being attempted at Fresno at Vsaia Tulare and
Hanf0rd also shows the hand of interest higher up
reaching for control under of the promise or or
ganiZation
The cooperative creameres represent actual local or
ganZaton by daymen who have object foreign to the
welfare of the industry. They are clean. To have
strengthened those organizations helping them to produce
better butter and so to secure better prices would be
good thing for the dairymen Of Imperial valley for
the people Of any other dairy section of the state.
The fate of the Keyes Creamery Company after
Hendersons organizers came to Stanisaus county, will
interest everyone in Imperial county waiting today for
the benefits to the Imperial valley that Mr. Hendersons
solicitors promised.
The dai1ymen who had organized the creamery at
Keyes could for signing the five-dolara
cow contracts They satisfied with the organiza
ton they had themselves built up with their money
They refused to join Hendelsons organization.
Then of their ne ghbors persuaded to
to them, and Charles Geer of Modesto promised them
that the Milk Producers Association of Central Calfor
nla as Henderson called his organization there, would
help them the operation Of the Keyes Creamery if they
would sign the contracts and notes. and that the assoca
ton would not divert the supply of that the Keyes
Creamery receiving
But what happened? The association had bought the
plant Of the Modesto Creamery Company 1t notified the
KeyeS dairymen to delivering their their
own creamery, and to deliver it to the Modesto plant
The keyes daiTymen protested that the order was
violation Of the promise made them. They told that
cOnditions had changed and that the contracts they
had signed obliged them to obey the order They were
confronted with total loss of their investment in their
creamery, which valued at $4,000. They began
see what contro of the dairy industry them.
They were informed that they mig ght continue the op
Grafton of the Keyes dairy but that their members who
had signed the Henderson contracts would be forced to
send their to the Modesto plant pay the penal
ties of the "hide-bound" contracts.
Plainly the dairymen of Keyes had been double
crossed Finally they secured $4,000 from the assoc-
ton Tor their plant That just enough to pay the
listing liabilities for cream delivered in the previous month
They thus lost their entire investment in the plant which
was then dsmantled by the association and the machn
cry moved elsewhere.
Now how does that sort of a deal square with the
promise to control the industry for the benefit Of the
dailymen?
In the light of what happened at Keyes listen to the
promise as given by Henderson at the Petauma meeting
Nov the idea is Henderson said when we control
the supply through the little cooperative creameIies
which hope to be able to absorb and take under our
wing and help, we will take them in and absorb theni
controlling the supply to meet the demands"
The We' interpreted by his hearers to mean 1--WE
dailynen" Henderson continued:
1T might be necessary, which hope it will, in the
wisdom of your directors to take these little cooper
atiVe creameres because do not want to hurt any
one We want to absorb them, and might be necessary
to buy them OUT
Facing similar benevolent absorption Edward r.
Hanna secretary of the Danish creamery at Fresno
Gently remarked:
'The word merge means swallowed up, sunk and
lost"
We cannot but believe that Imperial county dairy
men will wash their hands Of methods like the above