The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1921-02-18
CONSUMER vs.. PRODUCER
COOPERATION BETWEEN
THEM IS NEEDED
City Workers Should Organize
To Bargain With
Farmers
ASSOCIATED Press Dispatch

ASSOCIATED Press Dispatch.]
Cleveland, O., February 1.-The
main point of cooperation between
the producers and consumers is 10
get the consumer organized to bar
/ gain with the farmers, Rev. r. A. Nc
| Gowan, assistant director of the Ma
tional Catholic Welfare association
told the All American Cooperation
| council here today
Sinclair Lewis, said Rev. Nc
Gowan, lin symposium this year
said that what we need is a stronger
| cooperative organizations and sense
OF humor. l suppose we need sense
| Of humor because we haven't SUI
! ticiently strong cooperative organi-
cations. If we were well organized
! in cooperative distributive, and pro-
ductive organizations and coopera-
tive banks, we could use our sense
of humor in other ways than by hay
| ing it as safety valve to relieve
our bitterness over economic con-
| ditions.
"At the present time farmers
products generally pass through a
great many hands before the con-
sumner finally purchases them. We
! pay people to do work, to do it
wastefully, and to do it at high
rate of profit. This is not necessary,
but, perhaps to develop still further
our sense of humor, we continue
to do the needed thing in a wasteful
fashion. 1t seems a great deal bet
ter to control our sense of humor
and save it for other matters.
| Farmers Are Organized.
But great many people are tir-
ing OF developing their sense OF hum
| or in this way. The farmers are
! farther ahead in the wise use Of hum
or than city workers. They have
organized themselves in selling and
buying companies on the cooperative
plan on. a much more extensive
| scale than have others. They will
continue this work and from all signs
will grow.
THE point now is to get the con-
sumers organized to bargain with
the farmers. How is it to be done?
| Labor unions sometimes arrange
tfor the direct purchase by their
members OF farm products. This is
all right as a make shirt. The better
| thing to do, however, is to have CO.
operative retail and wholesale stores
which can get in touch with cooper
ative farmers organizations and save
| for themselves the unneeded expen-
ses in distribution goods, and the
profits of the distributors.
| 1.-THE Illinois miners gave no idea
] of what can be done: Their exper-
fence and even their methods de.
serve wide publicity particularly in
labor unions circles in this country.
They seem t. me to be the most
| hopeful step taken in cooperative
work among consumers for many a
long day.
Organize The Consumer
A plea for the organization Of
consumers with the object in view
of purchasing in wholesale lots from
the farmers direct was made by
Herbert F. Baker, of Michigan, in
his address before the congress.
There are no up to date figures
+ tween farm producers and city con-
sumers," Mr.. Baker said. 1T is
clear, however, that such direct trad
ing, eliminating the long series Of
! middlemen, brokers, consignors, and
re- consignors, between the original
producer of potatoes and other vege
| tables milk ETC., and the city con-
direct method of securing a better
price to the farmer for his products,
while saving the consumer a mater
ial proportion of what he pays for
farm products.
Some Cooperative Association.
I'm 1914, according to a bulletin
issued by the U. S. department of
agriculture, there were 1,706 CO.
operative creameries and cheese fac
tories distributed among thirty nine
states, but with two thirds Of the
number located in the three states
of Minnesota, Iowa and Wisconsin.
There were 81 fruit producers as
sociationS representing AZ states.
Since that time there has been a rap
id increase in most of these pro-
ducers cooperative associations. while
many cooperative milling plants have
been established, and potato, general
vegetable and other cooperative eX-
changes have been organized.
"A very large proportion of all
these farm producers cooperatives
are ready now, or will be in a short
time to send products in car load
lots or in larger quantities directly
to consumers organizations in cities
| II these consumers organizations
have the machinery necessary for
the financial end of the transaction.
and for local distribution. This is
prominently the task to which the
labor organizations and farmers CO.
operatives should devote themselves
Immediately. Such direct trading be-
tween farm producers and city con-
sumers will put millions of dollars
additional into the farmers pockets
| and save an equal amount to the
| city consumer"