Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1921-04-07


B. It. Hubbard. pect Of success.
There is found almost UNIVERSAL
~ fail, amount of business in sight
and a fair amount of working capt.
tai wherever y cooperative company
is proposed Moreover, there is a
disposition to find good manager at
whatever price it may be necessary
to pay.
The outlook is encouraging. Very
few failures are recorded aIaong. I'm
dertakings of recent years, and the
number of companies and the amOu1G
of business done by them is constant
ly increasing
Most numerous of these cooperative
undertakings are the telephones and
insurance companies Not very much
real business, however, is done
through these companies.
Creamery Men Cooperate.
The first rank, so far as effect on
the income and outgo of the farm is
concerned, must be given to cream
cries. and cheese factories. Approx
within the state are cooperative. Of
growing Importance are the fruit as
sociations, live stock shipping cOmpa-
MES, contrasting associations and pO-
tato, warehouse companies.
4 small beginning has been made
in marketing eggs comparatively
through the creamery. There are,
some half-dozen frIIit-selling asSOci-
atoms, perhaps twenty live stock ship
ping associations. and about the same
number of c0W-teSting associations.
Not a great quantity of grain is grown
seed purposes, hence the number Of
cooperative elevators is small.
Organized for Profit.
Cooperation in America has usual
" been carried on for the economic
gain to be made out of it. Probably
this gain must be considered desir~
able and a prominent feature. Bush
ness ventures are normally run for
gain. and it seems useless to insist
that some other, though higher, mo-
tive be substituted. 1t does not, how
ever. follow that the economic motive
must be the sole end and aim of a.
group of farmers acting together i'm
a cooperative capacity.
Community enterprise requires
community action, and where there is
organization for one purpose it serves
as a convenient starting point for
other undertakings.
Must Know "Ins and Outs"
It requires no argument to show
that there must be an intelligent UNI
derstanding of the objects to be
gained on the part Of those making
the effort. ALI too many agricultural
cooperative movements have been
launched by men who desired strong
Iv to get somewhere but who knew
little. or nothing of the proper route
to follow. Ganeral intelligence is sell
dom: lacking, but specific information
often is.
Where a cooperative company UNI
dertakes the marketing of a product
there should be q clear understand
ing of the ms and outs of the market
which it is proposed to enter, or per-
aaps to possess They should have
a clear picture of the marketing
processes, should know what charges
are made, and why. Unless there are
wastes to- be eliminated, or excessive
profits to- be cut down, the proDabii-
ity of happy outcome is small.
Good Leaders Necessary
Leadership is of the utmost impor-
lance. Even though every man couid
do the work of a general, no army can
act as a unit, unless some one man
| actually be given the authority ana
| put in charge Likewise there may
be a score of men capable Of acting
as leaders of a cooperative company,
bur some man, or some small group
of men. must actually become leaders
or nothing will be done. Leadership
is a rather rare quality :, at any rate
it is not superintendent as found IN
connection with new movements, and
the man who wishes to do things WIFI
find the cooperative field rich in OPP
portunity for constructive action.
HAlk