Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-08-19
Many Plans for Aid
to American Farmers
BY HARDEN COLFAX.

Measures for assistance to agriculture
contemplated by the platforms of the
major political parties and discussed BY
their nominees embrace elements ia
miliar to tillers of the soil in ancient
Egypt, who worked together in taking
advantage OF foundations from the Nile,
but modern farm cooperation is as
suuing proportions far beyond the Wild
csc dream of bearded Pharaoh.
To put the matter more plainly. IL is
only in the present decade that farmers
business organizations have taken on
the aspect of magnitude Today there
are several IN the United States whose
annual transactions will exceed $50, 00o,-
600 each
The organized farmers represent APP
proximately one-fourth of the farm
population Of the country This, then,
Is the proportion of agriculturists sold
on the idea of voluntary cooperation to
the extent of actually entering an as
ISOLATION. Every form Of legislation thus
far proposed In the programs of farm
relief contemplateS transactions through
groups, not individuals. 1t is plain that
great growth in the membership of CO.
operatives voluntarily or under the
pressure of economic necessity is just
around the corner
y X y
Agricultural cooperation was dis
CuSS2u In detail at session of the Tn
stitute of Politics at Williamstown.
Mass, this past week, featured by an
address by Chris l.. Christensen, head
OF the Division of Cooperative Market
ing OF the Department of Agriculture.
The subject is on the lips of presidential
nominees and candidates for subordi-
nate offices. The American Institute CT
Cooperation has just closed It's fourth
annual session. where executives in the
work are trained
There has been tremendous progress
In farmers business organizations In
this country since 1920. There are more
associations and larger aggregate
membership. 1t would be great mis-
take To view proposals for enlarged co.
operation as entering an uncharted
sea; the ship might be constructed
along new and experimental lines, but
the course Is we'll known.
But the accented tendency among
farm co-operatiyes that is most startling
to the uninitiated is the development OF
the larger units, The American farmer
Is being Weaned away from the local
community view Of cooperation which
marked the early days of the movement
and which caused disaster TO many or ..
carnations In the COS, the 80s and the
early years OF the present century More
and more, he is thinking, and acting
IN terms OF State, region or Nation.
Larger units make for economy In over
head and great efficiency In manage
ment and satisfy consumers more be-
cause OF the ability to deliver In GUAM
ttty and grade and also they possess the
advantages of better market informa~
ton, and storage facilities, and cheaper
financing than small, separate organs-
2ations. AT least one marketing CO.
operative pays Its managing executive
$50 900 year and Others approach this
salary,
There are a0-odd large associations.
whose individual transactions run high
into the millions. and many of which
own physical property of great value
more than S300.0000 900 Is invested In
grain elevators, cotton gins and ware
houses. livestock yards, fruit packing
plants creameries, etc, by the organised
FARMERS OF this country The larg~.
scale associations in less than 10 years
have leaped from an aggregate mems
hership OF 10000 to close 10 900 900. The
federation type, howcver~~~that which N
u combination OF small units~eappears
u be more favored by Americans, hav-
Inc the advantage OF local organization
plus the economies OF centralized con-
troll The best known of the fruit and
GARY co-operatives are of the federated
type, and the membership has increased
tenfold In less than a decade. Many of
the small, independent local orgaui.
cations survive, but the tendency Is
strongly toward larger associations.
Mr.. Christensen reports more than
$4,000 farmers co-operatlves in exist
enoe. with a combined membership,
eliminating Implications, of about 2, O0O, .
600, and an annual business of approxi~
mately $2,60a 000,00 More than a
hundred of these organizations have en-
annual volume os business In excess OF
81 100000
But. either with or without govern
mental assistance. considerable remains
10 be done In this development II Il
plain that under present conditions CO.
operatives are competing with one an
other IN certain lines, The object would
appear to be commodity Capitalization
to eliminate this destructive compe,i-
ton. The tendency already Is In that
direction, more constructive thought IS
being given tha subject attention "A