The National Co-operator and Texas Farm Journal. (Fort Worth, Tex.), Vol. 30, No. 23, Ed. 1 Wednesday, April 7, 1909 Page: 1 of 16
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Volume 30.
NATIONAL Co -OPERATOR
DEVOTED TO THE SELLING
. SIDE OF THE FARM.
FORT WORTH, TEXAS, APRIL 7, 1909
• coVER) THE
L DIVERSIFIED INTERESTS
or SOUTHERN AGRICULTURE.
Number 23
he Growing Force of Co-
This is the age of co-operation, says
the Iowa State Register. All of us
recognize it. But often our inde-
pendence and especially our individ-
ualism. when we have had to depend
for so many years absolutely upon our-
selves, lead us trom rather than to-
ward co-operation.
In the cities almest everything and
everybody is organized. The labor
unions, in spite of the bad reputations
which unworthy and unwise leaders
have sometimes given them, have been
a blessing to the human race and each
year are coming nearer to the princi-
ples of true fellowship and the right
industrial relations in the commercial
world. The manufacturers, the whole-
salers, the retailers, in fact all lines of
business, have their organizations, and
if not on the offensive side, are at least
Union Idea Is Growing
Success In State of Iowa
years later than that of Illinois; but it
on the defensive, seeing to it that no
other intrest encroaches upon their
rights if it is possible to prevent it: =
But in a large part of the United States .
the farmers as a class are unorgan-
has outstripped its predecessor in the
number of elevator companies formed.
The struggle in Iowa was similar to
that in Illinois, though a more bitter
fight was waged against the little co-
operative Iowa organizations.
The first society of the state was at
Rockwell, Cerro Gordo county. Their
success is largely attributed to the
clause incorporated in their by-laws
providing that a commission of one-
half cent per bushel should be paid in-
ury just the same. In this way the
farmers company was provided for, no
matter how much the line elevator peo-
ple raised their prices in the endeavor
to force the farmers’ company out of
business.
They first fought the farmers’ com-
pany at Rockwell and fought it with
every trick known to modern political
business and to the everlasting credit
of the little group of staunch and faith-
ful farmers the trust failed. But,
though the trust was beaten at Rock-
ized.
Yet each year sees the farmer mak-
ing progress along the lines of co-op-
eration, especially in progressive Iowa,
where there are some of the largest
co-operative societies in the country.
In fact the corn belt states seem to be
better organized for the protection of
their agricultural interests than the
majority of the agricultural states.
Yet even here such work is in its
infancy.
With respect to co-operation we are
far behind the farmers of some of the
foreign countries. In Germany and in
France especially there are strong co-
operative organizations among farm-
ers. In Denmark four-fifths of the
farming population is associated in co-
operative organizations, in the selling
of their farm produce, in operating
stores and even banks. Ireland also
enjoys co-operation among her farm-
ing class to a certain degree. It is
claimed that the farmers' organiza-
tions in Denmark have been the means
of quadrupling that country’s exports
of butter, bacon and eggs and that
the rural civilization has been changed
from a peasant to a rich, prosperous,
land-owning class. It is pointed out
that where once co-operation becomes
a part of agricultural life, the improve-
ment in price, in quantity and quality
of product is inevitably followed by
better homes, better schools, more so-
cial life and a larger degree of fellow-
ship.
Co-Operative Elevators.
Much of the co-operation which has
come about among grain growers in
our section of the country has been
inspired by unjust treatment on the
part of grain buyers and dealers. Suc-
cess has crowned the efforts of the as-
sociations of grain growers during the
past few years as it has never done
before. One of the first effective as-
sociations was organized in Manito,
III., in February, 1806. This associa-
tion had a hard fight against the
line elevator companies, but finally
succeeded.
In Iowa the success has been even
more marked than in Illinois. Ths
state orosnization was formed two
Notice to Subscribers
Fease note me label below containing your name and the date to
which your subscription is paid. The figures show the month (by num-
ber) the day and year to which you arc paid and if it has already expired,
you are requested to renew at once. If there is an error in your date please
notify us.
This is for You.
Look at this Label.
We have been carrying several hundred names over their time, but
we cannot continue it. If you are one, please renew at once. If you
can’t send for a year, send what you can. There’s going to be a great
forward movement among the farmers this year and you cannot afford
to miss an issue.
Special Offer
If you will send us $2.00 by first mail—not later than April 15—we
will renew your subscription two years or your own and one new one
for one year each, and send you FREE of all charge one of the famous
Parker’s Lucky Curve Fountain Pens, which retail alone for $1.50. Get
one of these for your subscription. We guarantee the pen. Get a neigh-
bor to join you and send both at once. This offer cannot be allowed
to stand and we cannot allow agent’s commission out of this amount.
RETURN THIS COUPON AT ONCE.
National Co-Operator, Fort Worth, Texas:
peration
well on November 4, 1904, which
resulted in uniting twenty companies
into the state association, and that
number has been increased until at
present there are over 200 compa-
nies with a membership of more than
30,000. ‘
Minnesota, Nebraska, Kansas and
South Dakota now have strong co-op-
erative organizations. Here are a few
newspaper items concerning the suc-
cess of co-operative organizations dur-
ing the year 1907:
Aurelia has one of the best organized
companies in Iowa, though they en-
countered many hardships in perfect-
ing their organization. There arc about
162 members, of which 119 are grain
raisers, though the company secures
business from 201 farmers in the vi-
cinity. The report of business done
from July, 1907, to January 31, 1908,
shows a net profit for the six months
of $1,755. *
The third annual meeting of the St.
Ansgar Co-operative Elevator com-
pany, held January 29, 1908, shows
that this company handles coal, lumber
and grain and has about 200 members
drawn not only from the ranks of the
farmer but also from the business men
and residents of the town. Their an-
nual report shows sales of merchandise
for the year, $30,980. Bushels of grain
bought, 165,829. Amount paid for the
same, $58,350.80.
- The annual report of the Farmers’
Elevator company at Alvord shows the
total purchases Tur the year, $36,960;
total sales, $40,130.88; profit, $3,170.88.
During the year the company has han-
dled 2,543 tons of coal, 151,000 bushels
of corn, 145,370 bushels of oats and
1,681 bushels of flax. The capitaliza-
tion was $3,550 and the profit was 100
per cent.
This hurried glimpse at the success-
ful grain co-operative organizations
shows that it has been a very hard
fight for the original promoters. In
fact it has seemed that the promoters
of these co-operative organizations
have won the failures of similar or-
ganizations and it was this hard and
trying experience, together with the
chance of failure in the end, which kept
so many farm neighborhoods from or-
ganizing. But with the marked suc-
ces of farmers’ co-operative associa-
tions during the past few years much
progress in organization is being made.
Throughout this Middle West there
are now hundreds of co-operative ele-
vator associations, co-operative cream-
eries, co-operative banks and stores
ai d other industrial lines.
Enclosed find $....
Name......--------------
P. O—..................
.far subscriptions u follows, under your special offer:
.............. Name--------------------------------------
.a. r. D......P. o....
-------.R. V. D.....
well, the fight had been so hardly
won that other sections of the state
hesitated before organizing their own
companies for fear of a similar experi-
to the company treasury by their mem-
bers for every bushel of grain sold
either to themselves or to their com-
petitors. When sold to their own com-
pany this represented the cost of han-
dlmr the grain and when sold to a _
competitor is was paid into the treas- companies in Iowa was held in
ence.
A called meeting of all co-operative
Call for State Ex-
• *
ecutive Committee
By authority vested in me as chair-
man, I hereby call a meeting of the
state executive committee at headquar-
ters, Tuesday, April 13, 1909. All
state officials will please file quarterly
reports. Fraternally,
J. E MONTGOMERY,
Chairman.
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Grant, A. W. The National Co-operator and Texas Farm Journal. (Fort Worth, Tex.), Vol. 30, No. 23, Ed. 1 Wednesday, April 7, 1909, newspaper, April 7, 1909; Fort Worth, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1636876/m1/1/: accessed May 22, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; .