The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1922-11-16

Sembled at Junior High Auditorium.
Sank Centre, Thursday evening of last
week to file a verbal protest against
the establishment of the Blue Valley
Sweet Cream Company's branch in
Sank Centre.
All in all it was the most important
and enthusiastic meeting Of progress
i've farmers held in Sank Centre in the
past ten years. The farmers recognize
that the Blue Valley Company has
become the largest centralizer in the
United States AS one of the speakers
put it the Blue Valley is the Armour
in the butter business,
There were members from a number
of other creameries present other than
the Sank Lake Cooperative plant of
this city, as they recognize that an
organization as powerful as the Blue
Valley will pluck at the very vitals of
the Cooperative Creameries' business
unless the farmers stand fast and
refuse to be lead away from their
own organization by the lure of temp
>orary increase in the price which they
can receive for their dairy product.
- If the unanimous and enthusiastic
sentiment expressed at Thursday
evenings meeting can be maintained
and the farmers who were not present
can absorb something of the
same enthusiasm the Blue Valley Co.
will find mighty hard sleding in this
mans town.
Oscar Lying, president of the Sank
Lake Cooperative Creamery proved
to be a most efficient chairman of the
meeting. After calling the gathering
together Mr.. Lying very clearly out
lined the purpose of the meeting,
stating that members of the Blue
Valley had called ON him at different
times during the past 80 days, as we'll
as other members of the Board of
Directors, submitting a proposition
to either buy or lease the plant of the
Sank Lake Cooperative Creamery.
Mr. Lying stated that he was at the,
beginning of negotiations unalterably
opposed to the leasing or selling of the
farmers plant in Sank Centre to the
Blue Valley or any other organization;
and that nothing had developed since
that time to cause him to change his
mind and that the. other directors of
the Sank Lake Creamery Association
were In aecotd with his views. The
meeting, he said, was fol- The purpose
of considering the question from every
angle and he urged thas as many of
those present as possible would take
part in discussing this proposition
which is striking at the very life of
the Cooperative creamery industry OF
Minnesota.
A. j. Mcclure, president of the
Minnesota Cooperative Creameries
Assoc alton and one of the pioneers
in the cooperative movement in the
state, was first speaker introduced.
Mr.. Mcclure stated that for 20 years
he had been watching and studying
the movement of the centralizers anC
was absolutely certain that when they
decided the time and conditions were
favorable that an effort would be made
by them to do just what they proposed
to do in Sank Centre. He said that it
was no longer theory because they
were actually here and he was con
vinced that they meant business. He
stated that the Blue Valley Creamery
Company were shrewd business men
with an abundance Of capital and were
the most serious competitors that the
Cooperative Creameries have. He
said that it had been absolutely impos-
sible for the Cooperative Creameries
to get foot-hold for their butter in
Chicago because the Blue Valley
Company absolutely dominated the
market. Mr.. Mcclure called attention
to the large display ad which the Blue
Valley Company carried in the current
issue of the Herald. He said that was
good business as all shrewd business
men recognize the necessity of per-
sistent and judicious use of newspaper
space and he advised the Sank Lake
Creamery to combat this advertising
oy liberal use of the Herald space
fully setting fourth the advantage of
he Cooperative Creamery as against
he centralizerS and show to the
people by actual and undisputable
figures the price paid for butter fat
by the Blue Valley Company at points
where they had no cooperative COM
petition. Mr. Mcclure stated that the
Blue Valley Company had selected
Sank Centre for the reason Stearns
County makes more butter than any
,ther county in the state and the Sank i
lake Creamery, Sank Centre, makes
.1ore butter than any other creamery
n Steams County. He was convince;
hat the locating of plant in Sank
Centre was the first of several thai I
would eventually be built if it was
found they could lure the farmer away