Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1919-06-29
Farmers Union Is One of
States Strongest Bodies
Organization Grew From 240 Locals With 5000 Mem
bers on January l, 1914 to Over 1900 Locals With
About 40, 900 Male Members on January l, 1919.

Farmers union price, Sl,40 per gal
Ion, net saving OF $40. On 10 gal
Ions of house paint his home price
was $3.50 per gallon, Farmers un-
ion price $2.35, a saving of $ll.50.
On 10 gallons of raw oil, home price
$2.25, Farmers union price $l,68,
saving of $5,40. There was a total
saving of $500 by buying from the
Farmers union.
Saved Over $1,000.
A farmer living near Omaha was
in need of few bushels of alfalfa
seed, and after getting prices from
two dealers in Omaha he purchased
his seed from the state exchange at
our regular prices and saved $42, 50.
Still another member states that he
and his nelghbors purchased car
load of machinery from the ek-
change and when the car was I'M
loaded they compared every piece
of machinery with the same class
selling in their home town and found
they made a saving of 81, 2l0 on the
carload. On an eight foot standard
binder $50, and sometimes more, is
saved; on a gang pillow from $40 to
$50 is saved. The exchange is not
dealing in second-class or shoddy
goods, but handles standard and
hrst-class articles. In addition to
the hundreds of thousands of dol
lars saved by the members, large
sums of money are saved by farmers
not belonging to the organization,
which is accomplished in the fol-
lowing manner: In localities where
the members go into commercial
activities they invariably cause the
dealers to cut their prices, and this,
of course, is beneficial to everybody
in the community. Hundreds, yes
thousands, of cases can be cited to
show that the farmers are saving a
great deal of money by dealing CO.
operatively.
Live Stock Department
April, l, 1917, a Farmers Union
Live Stock commission department
was opened at South Omaha, at
which time 50 commission compan-
les were in operation. Naturally the
department did not expect much
business in the beginning, and dur
ing the first six months the ex-
penses exceeded the income, but it
gained steadily from month to
month and at the end of the fiscal
year, April |, 1918, it was able to
pay all expenses, set aside small
sinking fund, and pay back to the
patrons SO cents on every dollars
worth of commission paid. April
|, 1917, it was No. 81 on the list. but
on July 81, 1918, it was No. 8. In
10 months it passed 4S out of 50
competitors in the yard. August
1917, it opened branch of the Live
Stock commission at St. Joseph, Mo-,
and on August, 1918, it opened a
branch at Sioux City. 1t is strictly
commission firm and has no other
income than the regular established
commissions for handling live stock.
The managers and employees are
paid straight salary and no one
receives any commission or rake off;
all profits over and above expenses
are returned to the patrons on the
patronage dividend plan. The divi-
dends paid to the patrons for the
year ending April l, 1919, were 46
per cent.
The Fire, Lightning, Wind and
Tornado Insurance company is one
of the new activities. It is making
steady growth and the indications
are that in the near future it will.
be one of the strongest companies
in Nebraska. Insurance at actual
cost is the aim.
Owns a Paper.
1t publishes The Nebraska Union
Farmer, the official organ, which is
sent to all members paying dues.
! This paper carries no advertise
ments only for members of the
Farmers Union and their activities.
Articles of great interest to the
farmers, and matters pertaining tc
cooperative buying and selling are
the principal topics in the paper.
Education and Legislation.
In addition to the activities, the
organization takes a leading mart