Montana labor news., 1945-02-15

SHOWING
FINE PROGRESS
Second Hundred Years
In a recent address on the progress Of
co-operatives in this country, which was
printed in the Congressional Record,
Representative Jerry Voorhis Of Cali
fornia, outlined the amazing accomp-
lishments Of the co-Operatives in their
first hundred years. He was asked to
talk on THE First Hundred Years Are
the Hardest" but said he felt that this
was not quite true. The first century
was. with all its heroic effort against
tremendous odds, a period Of ridicule
and indifference. The second century,
he holds, will be the tough one because,
having grown Of age, cO-operatives will
attract the bitter opposition of private
enterprise intent on destroying them
He cited the NTEA as a sample OF the
warfare which co-operatives must expect
in one orm or another. OF its program
he said: 1T is perfectly clear that this
is no attempt to bring about tax equal
ity. but rather is a deliberate attempt
to bring about the complete destruction
of every cooperative within the borders
of the United States"
Education Is Needed
And while Rep. Voorhis listed, witt
evident pride, the great things done by
our co-operatives' he put his finger
O This n thing thou lackest"-pub-
licity to educate the mass Of American
pepole to the values and benefits Of CO.
operation. There are certain things,
he said, which we have not yet done
The story of the wonderful work Of
American c-o-operatives has not been got
across to the great bulk of the American
people. once they have heard it they
will know that co-operatiyes are nc
threat to any single worthwhile insti-
tuition in u whole country. On the
contrary. they can give us the best guar
antee for the continuance of constltu-
tional government. economic liberty anc
genuine hope for the common mar tina
can be found from any source
GTA sOws Good seed
That educational publicity is no
lacking in the Northwest, and among it
strongest supporters is the eta and it
affiliated local elevators. These not onl!
of themselves have proved the worth o.
co-operation to thousands Of farm
families. but have used their %educationa
funds to spread the good tidings to al
the people Of this area. When on
thinks of the amount of education, il
newspapers, in booklets, in township an.
county meetings Of farmers and in tn
inspiring talks by men like NJ. "
Thatcher over the past six years Of tn
life Of the GTA, it is plain that tn
process of education has not fallen dow.
or that it comes within the categor
mentioned by Rep. Vorhis. His vie'
covered the whole nation. We view
for our own Northwest and are prou
of the good seed we have sown.
Shield Has Two Sides
Even here there are those who folio
through slowly. They. for instance, q
not see what the farm co-ops. have t
90 with the Department Of Commerce
or Henry Wallace or Jesse Jones. The
are not yet educated up to the point {
seeing that there are two sides to tn
cooperative shield. If the farmer is {
get something better than &c for h.
wheat, there must be a consumer who
able to buy it and pay a fair price. ]
that cOnsumer-whO is mainly the labo
Of the towns and cities-is out Of a jol
he cannot consume the product Of tn
farm and, seemingly out Of nowhere
there appears a surplus Of food an
fibre. There never is too much Of ethel
flor the farmer does not produce NOR
than the consumer can use. Labor o.
the breadline and at the soup kitchen
is not consuming as it would had it de
cent wages and money wherewith to Blu
regular meals.
Must Have Customers
Hence it is that Wallace, as head {
the Department of Commerce, commit
ted to the creation Of 60 million Jobs, 6
good wages, is actually befriending tn
farmerl He is saying to him: you G
ahead and produce the food and 1 WI
provide your market for it," That is tn
distribution angle which u coop
have not yet fully mastered. But the
will master it for, though they hay
mastered production, it should not tai
another depression and deflation to dri'
home the lesson. If the farmer remen
bers the motto: THE customer is alwa,
right" he will not fight labor o grudl
it good wages, knowing as he must th'
even the best elevator or store, w1thol
patrons or customers, is no good. wa
lace, the man, may not be essential, b
Wallace's plan is the big hope for
prosperous agriculture.