Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1922-08-30
CONCERNING COOPERATIN

0C(AaLCo LAidk LtfE Su[ICoSluA utNEiOU-
ment of agricultural cooperation in
dicates that farmers are determined
to have something to say re .arding
the prices Of their products an 4 not to
leave it entirely to the decision of the
buyers as has been the case in the
past. The rapid growth of the CO.
operative idea heralds, according to
Mr.. Nordman, the coming of the time
when marketing will be conducted in
an orderly manner without waste and
unnecessary expense. Cooperation
by bringing the farmers together, en-
ables them to market their products
on a large scales, thus proportionally
reducing operating expenses. 1t de-
velops acunen, initiative and a spirit
of solidarity, whereby farmers get
accustomed to work tremendously to-
wards the improvement ftheir con-
dotion.
"Co-operation, however" states MIR.
Nordman must be undertaken with
care and caution. Farmers who con-
template starting a cooperative or
ganization must be careful of avoid
ing pitfalls which may look attractive
but which conceal dangers that are LA
bic TO disrupt it and to destroy its
benefits and advantages. Among
some of these dangers the most
threatening ones are bad management,
improper financing and unsound bust
ness methods. Strict and careful at
tention should be paid to the various
prerequisites of success of co-opera-
tive undertakings but above all farm
ers should avoid thinking of cO-opera-
ton as a cure for all evils.
"In this connection Mr.. Nordman
points out that while cooperation is
an invaluable factor so far as the i'm
provement of the economic and social
conditions of farmers is concerned
there are many forces at work in mod
ern society that are liable to thwart
the good work of cooperative organ
izations. Among these forces the
fundamental ones are those which deal
with the evil effects of various kinds
of monopolies and speculation. These
mOnopolies, by allowing a certain
group of individuals to extract more
than their share of the wealth created
by society decrease the share of hte
great mass of producers in the form of
wages, salaries and incomes. This
state of affairs which is characteristic
of modern society constitutes a ire
mendous blow at cooperation because
agricultural cooperative organiza-
tions rely for their success upon good
markets which, as everyone knows,
depend principally upon high pur-
chasing power fthe consumer. 1t
is Mr.. Nordman's opinion that farm
leaders, while abating nothing in the
fostering of the cooperative move
ment, should nevertheless put more
of their energies towards the working
out of a plan to eliminate the evil eff
fects of privilege and monopoly.
"There are many people who, I'M
Outstanding the effect of the pernici-
Gus activities of monopolies upon the
successful development of co-operat-
ion, are inclined to think that these
monopolies should be counteracted by
farmers monopolies, and that farm
ers can get even with those who have
exploited them by means of specula-
ton and monopolistic prices by estab-
fishing monopolies of their own. This
consideration was the cause of num-
Der of attempts at monopolies of farm
products on the part fthe farmers in
the past and has led TO consequences
which have proved disastrous and
which constitute a deterrent to the
Farmers attempts at forming mo-
nopolies are bound to prove as ruinous
in the future as they have been in the
past. Monopoly depends entirely up
on the possibility of exclusive control.
In farming such control is utterly i'm
possible. Agricultural production can
not be controlled with as much efficacy
as the production in other industries
tu nhav,an fhaf oil fhn 70
ers growing a particular crop will
ever unanimously stick to one organ
iZation and submit to advice of pro-
ducing only certain limited quantity
of crops and farm products. Besides,
there are many chances that those who
have not grown that particular crop
in the past will begin growing it when
this crop reaches a price more profit
able than the one they were getting
for other crops. By increasing the
production of a high priced article
they will naturally cause a decline in
the pride of this article. 1t is this
continual shifting from the growing
of one crop to the growing of another
when prices are more favorable in the
one than in the other that destroys
any possibility of farmers monop-
oily, for the latter depends exclusively
upon a rigorous control of the rate
of production. No amount of restric-
tons and contracts can prevent the
clocklike regularity of the working of
the iron law of supply and demand in
virtue of which high prices stimulate
increased output which, in its turn,
causes low prices and poor markets.
"One of the essential conditions of
good markets is proper balance be-
tween the production of the essentials
of life. This balance, however, can
not be obtained unless there is an eff
fective demand on the part of the con-
sumner equivalent to the quantities pro-
duced. The rise in the prices of COM
modities above the level of the con-
sumeris purchasing power causes I'M
derconsumption and leaves an unsal-
able quantity of farm products on the
market. The only way for the farm
err to prevent this situation is not by
attempting to establish monopolies of
his own but by uniting with other pro-
ducers in an effort to eliminate the
evil effects of the already existing
monopolies. Lincoln's motto Equal
rights for all, special privileges for
none" should be the rallying point
for all those who see clearly that the
present economic conditions are due
to the fact that some are in a posi-
ton to extract, through monopoly and
speculation, more than they are EMIT
led to, at the expense of the great
mass of producers. The monopolies
of natural resources. of credit and OF