Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1929-03-04
A New Venture in Cooperation

William M. Jardine, who retires today from the
position of secretary of agriculture to be succeeded by
Arthur M. Hyde Of Missouri, has for years been an
exponent Of cooperative marketing. While his adj
herence to the Coolidge policies relative to farm re-
lief aroused the indignation Of the Northwest farm
ers, his ideas on cooperation, as repeatedly expressed
in public addresses, aroused great interest among the
fruit and vegetable growers of the South.
The former secretary will be given an opportunity
Ia work out his theories. AS head Of the Federated
Fruit Growers of the Southeast, he will be in position
to materialize the ideas which for the past four years
he has held before the growers of the country as the
logical basis upon which to handle marketing of ag-
ricultural production in order to assure returns to
the grower in proportion to the demand for such pro-
duction.
The working scheme of the federation. which deals
largely in peaches and melons, and proposes to eX-
tend its operations to include citrus fruit, is simple.
It places representatives in the various sectional mar
kets to handle the produce shipped from the Coop
eratives of the territory. Through a single agency as
many as 80 or 90 co-operatives, all in the same bust
ness. NAV have their market interests protected and
their produce handled without the expense and COM
petitive practice Of placing their own men on the
market.
The most vulnerabel point in this program is the
grower himself. So long as he will market with the
co-operative he contributes toward maintenance OF
ORDERLY marketing and profitable prices; but when he
fails to co-operate his production then becomes a
competitive factor and is used to force down the price
for his own production as we'll as that of the CO.
operatives.
Jardine. as head Of the fruit cooperative, may
ne able to hold the growers in line. If he can &C
complish this he will have achieved his objective; but
failure to hold at least a big majority OF the growers
will assure competition that will effectually prevent
the cooperative from securing the desired results for
those whom it would serve.
The former secretary has been subjected TO con-
siderable criticism during the years he served as a
member of the Coolidge cabinet. No doubt some OF
this criticism was deserved. But it cannot be denied
that .Iardine has conscientiously endeavored to I'M
nrove the condition Of agriculture. Recognizing the
necessitv of organization in connection with agr1-
culture as well as all other industries, his efforts were
directed toward achieving organization. offering this
as the panacea for agriculture's economic ills instead
Of the farm relief as proposed by the McNary-Hau-
gen measure. He repeatedly has pointed out that
agriculture is no different in its main essentials from
any other industry, and that If organization has
nroved successful in placing manufacturing and SIM
liar industries upon a profitable basis, it would prove
equally successful if applied to agriculture.
There is sound logic and sound economics IN the
SUGGESTIONS and recommendation Of the forfer sec
retarv. and before many years have passed agricul-
t,,re will recognize the fact that organization not
subsidies. must be the foundation upon which the
future prosperity of the industry must be built.