Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1938-02-10

ers urge Communism or Socialism or
Fascism as the way of salvation from
all of our modern ills. Nearly all of
these panaceas are being tried in
various parts of the world and there
fore all of them are still on trial.
Cooperation is Democratic Movement.
The cooperative movement, on the
other hand, is not a new movement.
1t has been in existence nearly CEN
fury. Moreover it has served it's
apprenticeship and passed out of the
theoretical stage. In nearly every
instance where it has been tried it
has proved to be practicable and
beneficial. The movement actually
began at Rochdale, England, under
the leadership and inspiration of Rob-
ert Owen. From there it spread to
Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Germany,
Finland and to France.
For the sake of clearness, distinc-
ton should be made between the CO.
operatives for production and con-
sumers' cooperatives. Many farmers
have created large and successful
cooperatives for the sale of certain
products and the joint purchase of
certain supplies. In these the farm
ers have not sought to eliminate pri-
vate profit
In consumers cooperatives one of
the detectives has been to do away
with private profit and to distribute
the surplus among the consumers
rather than among investors. In these
forms of cooperation the owners con-
stitute the patrons. Each member
has only one vote regardless of the
amount he has invested A legal
and fixed rate of interest is paid
on capital. After surplus has been
accumulated as reserve and fund
for interest set aside the amount left
over is returned to members in pro-
portion to the amount they purchase
from the cooperative. In other words,
consumers cooperative is conducted
not for profit to few stock and bond
holders who may live in far distant
parts of the nation but is operated
on the basis of service to its members.
1t is gratifying that consumers CO.
operatives are growing rapidly. Both
producers and consumers coopera-
tives have proved to be not only prac-
teal and economical but also demo-
cratic and idealistic. They foster
progress in associated effort and they
build up social mindedness and the
democratic spirit.
For various reasons the coopera-
tive movement in the United States
is less developed than in many parts
of Europe. We have been pioneer,
individualistic nation. Although lib
eralism in this country has fostered
political democracy it has failed to
achieve industrial democracy. This
| is undoubtedly the next step that
must be taken if we are to save our
selves from Fascism and Commun-
istic bureaucracy, and it can be done
in great part through the cooperative
movement and spirit.
Praises Growth.
II is Srau1ylng tnaL the cltlZenS OF
| Minnesota have been leaders in the
cooperative movement in this coun-
try. AS far back as 1919 the State
Department of Agriculture extended
aid to cooperatives. For years our
Commonwealth has had one of the
| best enabling acts for cooperatives
to be found anywhere in the nation.
The law was enacted in 1919 and
amended in 1921 and 1923.
AS result there are in Minnesota
today about 1900 cooperatives. Some
of them are producers and some con-
sumers' cooperatives. They include
such interests and activities as CO.
operative creameries to the number
of 636, cheese factories, elevators,
livestock shipping associations, retail
stores, gasoline associations, various
forms of insurance, burial associa-
tons, sales agencies, telephone as
sociations which number 1909, serv-
ice and trucking associations, imple-
ment associations, credit unions, hos
pital associations and others. Just
now rural identification occupies the