OCR Text |
Show CO-OPERATIVE BANK SYSTEMS Professor Austin of Texas Mskts Concise Con-cise Report on European Rural Credits His Views. From a college professor, Charle H. Austin of the University of Texas, who was one of the American commission commis-sion to study European rural credits, and who, together with other Texas members, has Just returned, has come the briefest report yet publlBhed. and also the one containing the most healthy germ of common sense. Professor Austin says: "The adoption adop-tion of any system of Improved finances fi-nances for the farmer, or a system of co-operative marketing Is not a question ques-tion of constitution and by-laws. My European experience led me to believe be-lieve stronger than ever that It Is a question of the underlying social forres. Gertnlany Is credited with being the birthplace of the financial and co-operative movements which have meant so much to the European farmer and peasant. Hut no European country has adopted bodily the German Ger-man system: each country, has Its own economic conditions. Even with a modification of the system It Is going go-ing to require something more than legislative enactment to get the people peo-ple to adopt a policy of business for service and not for profit, or to adopt a cooperative banking system with the motto of ltairfccn. 'fine for nil. and all for one.' Cooperation does not come through the law; It comes through the spirit. In the end. It wIV be the American farmer who will gl t the country a working, beneficial ss-tem ss-tem of co-operative rural credit, marketing, mar-keting, production or otherwise." The meat of this opinion Is summed Up In the sentence "Co-operation does not come through the law; It comes through the spirit." says the Texas Farm Co-Operator. Or. In otter words, commissions may Investigate and report and recommend, rec-ommend, governors may proclaim, organization or-ganization o,' farmers may pass resolutions, reso-lutions, leglHlnturea and congresses may pass bill. but, after all, the origination power for making cooperation cooper-ation effective among farmers lies In the bands of the farmers themselves. Co-opcratlon Is a question of "underlying "under-lying social forces," as Professor Austin Aus-tin puts It In his scholastic language. . That Is, If the people of a community commun-ity want to co-operate and have the determination to do so, they will find a way. The "way" Is incidental to the determination. |