Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1920-02-24
FARMER-LABOR
CO-OPS AGREE
ON COST FIGHT

CHICAGO.-Can the FARMERS ana
consumers of America unite in a
national cooperative movement to
slash the high cost of living?
Representatives of 100000 farm
ers and almost as many workers
meeting for three days here decided
that only the combination of the
farmers and consumers to eliminate
the middleman will reduce high
prices.
If cooperation is to be as wide
spread and successful in the United
States as in Europe the following
are necessary, the All-American
Farmer-Lahor Cooperative Congress
decided:
cooperative banks to back Coop
erative ventures and prevent other
banks from fighting cooperative en-
terprises.
Standard ways of doing business.
including uniform trade labels, aud
iting and accounting systems and
store arrangement.
National wholesale eo4opsratives
selling only to cooperative stores
tive made or grown products.
National ownership of railways
and the establishment of postal mo-
tor truck lines to link the farms
and the railways,
Widespread educational propa-
ganda pointing to the governments
failure to reduce living cost and the
advantages of cooperation.
The mutual distrust of the farmer
and labor delegates melted away in
the opening sessions when speakers
from both camps showed that for
each the problem was the same
to make the dollar buy more.
1t developed that in many parts
of the country farmers and consum-
ers already were working hand in
hand and had reduced the living cost,
The pressing need of the coop.
erative movement now, 1T was
agreed, is cooperative banks.
"Profiteers who own or control the
banks are now taking the money of
both the farmer and the consumer
to fight him with" declared Warren
S. Stone, president of the Brother
hood Of Railway Locomotive En-.
ginesrs. 1.-THE bank is the natural
enemy of the ee-operator. we must
own our own banks so that the
money we deposit can help our en-
terprises and be loaned to us and
not to profiteerS bent on further
exploitation"
The engineers are about to estab-
fish bank in Cleveland that will
have initial deposits Of more than
$50,00Q,0Q9! A Special banking COM
mittee, appointed at the meeting
here, will work in conjunction with
the engineers to establish branch
cooperative BANKS in all lafgS cities
and Industrial and producing cen,
ters.
There are too many cooperative
marketing labels. 1t was pointed out.
uniform label that can become
known as the mark of comparatively
made or sold good is needed, the
meeting decided. One great reason
1Qr the failure of cooperative VEN
lures has beon poor management.
Uniform systems of bookkeeping
ana auditing by national represent
atiFes was offered as a remedy and
9 committee appointed to devise this
system.
Next to the cooperative bank pro-
Gram the delegates held that CO.
oper tive wholesalers were most inn
portant.
"Jobbers are fighting cooperators
new" declared Duncan Mcdonald
president of the Illinois State Fed
Grafton OF Labor We need our own
wholesale houses to counterfeit this
ana also to guide by careful sugges-
non ana supervision the manage
n1cnt of local stores"
Ultimately the producer and con-
sumner movement Will be fin control
81 the government, speakers averrea
Iney recommended that the railways
pc continued in government control
Tor two years and the Plumb nlau
adopted In addition they urged a
motor truck system to carry farm
produce to the railways. A commit
tee to urge that army trucks be re-
leased for this purpose will be an
pointed.
The cooperative movement shou1d
grow slowly to become strong II
was agreed, People should be taught
that the primary reason for coop-
GRAFTON is not small and Immediate
price reduction. The speakers de-
cared cooperation aimed at a peace
lui overthrow or the profit system
within a few decades. The move
ment' it was declared, should cite
IN" with every department of life,
1t Should be identified with commu-
nifty entertainments and. recreation.
education and political government.
All, Speakers urged slow and careful
development of the movement and
strict adherence to the Rochdale
pIan' so successful in many Euro
pean countries.