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Show GOOD AIDS IN CO-OPERATION J Strong Capable Management and Support Sup-port of All Its Members Essential to Any Market Association. The growing feeling that there is too' much difference between the price paid to the producer of food and the price pnid by the consumer has turned the attention of American farmers more, and more to co-operative marketing market-ing associations as a promising remedy. rem-edy. Producers of perishable products have advanced the furthest In this direction, di-rection, and the best organized co-operative marketing associations are now to be found among the California citrus fruit growers and among the deciduous fruit growers of the Pacific Northwest. In general it may be said that the most promising field for such associations is in the marketing of highly specialized and localized crops. The work of the marketing associations associa-tions Includes the establishing of grades and standards; the adoption of brands and trade marks; the securing se-curing of capital and credit; proper advertising to encourage consumption of a meritorious but little known product; prod-uct; discovery of new and extension of old markets; securing information as to crop and market conditions; the equitable division of profits; adapting production to meet market requirements; require-ments; the use of by-products; securing secur-ing cold and common storage facilities; facili-ties; the co-operative buying and man ufacturing of supplies; co-operative use of expensive farm machinery; securing se-curing of lower freight rates, more equitable refrigeration charges, and more efficient transportation service, the securing of more and better labor; la-bor; and the general cultivation of a spirit of co-operation in all community affairs. These objects can not be achieved without strong, capable management. If a farmer has not sufficient faith In the co-operative Idea to go Into the enterprise en-terprise with his whole heart, to hold up energetically the hands of the manager man-ager and work disinterestedly for the success of the association as a whole, he had better not become a member, for he will be far from a source erf comfort to his partners. The manager should be employed by the board of directors and should have large powers. He should employ and discharge all labor. He should secure information as to crop and market conditions con-ditions and furnish same to the members mem-bers on request. He should encourage the production of the best varieties of products demanded by the trade. He should conduct packing schools, In order or-der that growers may become trained in the best methods of grading, packing, pack-ing, and labeling their products. Ea should have charge of the grading, packing, and inspection of all association associa-tion products, and should have control of the brands and labels, and their use on the association packages, in accordance ac-cordance with the rules of the asso ciation. He should enter Into can tracts for the sale of the association goods. He should have entire charge of the marketing of all association goods, subject only to the action of the board of directors and the by-laws and rules of the association. He can not be held responsible if he is to be dictated to at will by each member or the officers are constantly to meddle with his work. This does not Imply that the manager should be a dictator. From the suggestions of the officers and members together with those from his own experience he constructs a business plan. Whenever a manager loses the confidence of the members, it is better to replace him with a manager man-ager who possesses that confidence. But no manager, however competent he may be, can lead a co-operative association as-sociation to success unless he has real co-operation from the members. In co-operative circles the disloyal member mem-ber is the chief element of failure. |