Monte Vista journal and Monte Vista graphic-reporter., 1923-05-11
Large Crowd Attends
Cooperative Meeting

Tho meeting 1t Monte Vista Mon
day night for the purpose Of ex
planning the Coop. Marketing act
and the contract incident to the
same. was we'll attended by farmers
and business men. Chairman Chas.
Mahl. after calling the meeting to
order and stating the purpose of the
meeting. then called r. A. CHS
holm. president of the State Organi-
CATION Committee. to the floor. Mr..
Chisholm explained. in Q general
way. the need OF coop. marketing
from 4 growers standpoint; also,
the work outlined by the commit
tee. Next came o. A. Cunningham,
manager OF the Del Sorte Coop. as
sociation, who in q brief way show
ed how his organization had start
ed Just two years ago and. while
they were all new At the game. yet
they have made q marked success
OF cooperative marketing: so much
so that around IS or 80 per cent
OF all the potato growers Of the Del
Norte district have signed up unde,
the new contracts. Mr.. Kramer of
the Center Coop. organization also
spoke In regard to the necessity of
farmers getting together and CON
ducting their own business.
w. F. Hoppe. field agent in mar
ketinE. was then introduced. Mr..
Hoppe dealt largely with the work
OF the State Potato Growers. Ex-
change. which organization will be
under the direct supervision Of the
growers: In fact. II Ii the growers
themselves. The Exchange will find
= market for the potatoes Of the diff
ferent locals Of the state: and when
this state and the eight or more
other states in which the work Ia
now being carried on Ia completed
We will then have . national ex-
change for the handling Of potatoes.
Mr., Heppe's. statement during his
address in some such words a. these
/ are worthy OF note: Our object
! Is not to form . monopoly. all we
ask ts fair price for our potatoes
plus u reasonable profit: a scheme
whereby we can get the potatoes
from the producer to the consumer
with the least possible cost. II We
were to try to control price We
would fail. for the price. II put too
high. would discourage consumption
and We would not be able to sell
We must secure orderly distribution
by feeding the market according to
market demands. and strengthen
the market thru standardl,inE,
which implies quality. and ndvertis-
Ing the quality Of our product. W.
must get away from dumping"
W. 8. Hin. lately managing sec
rstary Of the State Farm Bureau and
now organization manager for Colo
rsdo. vas the final speaker OF the
evening. Mr. Hin read and dis.
cussed the Growers Agreement Con
tract. This contract not only binds
the grower 10 his local organisation
but to the Exchange A. we'll. II was
brought out In Mr.. Hiii's discussion
that In signing these contracts. .
grower in not signing away his
rights To some overhead. but mere.
ly making AN agreement with him
self. Us the growers have all the say
as TO the handling OF their potatoes.
The whole scheme contcmpia,es
merely the getting together OF
group OF farmers and disposing Of
their product In n busin.ssiik. man.
ncr; and. naturally. the more farm
ers In each group. and tho more
groups there are tied together thru
the state and tho national organi-
zations. the more successful Will
the plan he.
Instead Of n hundred present at
the abov. meeting. there should
have been at least two hundred.
Every farmer In IN. cast end OF the
county should have heard the dis.
cus-ions whether he fnvors tn. plan
or not. What ~c need is more In
formation and the meeting the other
nisht was the place TO get II. In
the upper end Of the county. this In
formation appears not To be- needed.
there has been . cooperative nsaoc.
la'ion working up there for two
yearp-C. D. HYATT