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Show I PUT CO-OPERATION TO WORK Farmer Loses Sight of the Little Army ' Interposed Between the Minufse-turtr Minufse-turtr and Himeclf. Frequently In contemplating the small army of middlemen Interposed between the farmer and the consumer of bis products, we lose sight of that other army Interposed between tita manufacturer and the goods which the farmer consumes. A man In Illinois makes a plow. He sells that plow to a Texas distributing bouse. The latter, through Its salesman, sales-man, disposes of it to a retail dealer, and fliially the latter geta rid of It to the farmer. With tbls method of procedure there Is no particular complaint com-plaint except that tho plow may come a good deal short of what the farmer could get at equal price, and better aulted to his needs, somewhere else, ssys the Texas Farm Co-Operator. Retailers Re-tailers naturally incline to limited lines of goods, and Jobbers prefer to deal with retailers who are buyers In restricted re-stricted lines. After a fashion the re-taller re-taller endeavors to handle the goods thst are most popular with the farmers farm-ers who trade with blm, but supposing a radical Improvement comes out and the retailer finds himself with a stock still to dispose of? Is he likely to purchase a stock of the Improved machinery ma-chinery and keep the older goods on bis hands or offer them at a discount? dis-count? Uerause he is not, fanners In many localities do not know of Improved machinery ma-chinery unless they see It advertised In their farm papers. And If one or two In a neighborhood want aome new. Improved machine, manufactured by some concern other than that represented rep-resented by their local dealer, tbey have small chance of getting It as Individuals. Unless It is a machine sold direct by the manufacturer. Each neighborhood could, each year, profitably pay the expenses of a mat), or of a committee of men, to Investigate Investi-gate Improved machinery, and prices on goods that are purchased In that community In considerable quantity, be It fertilizer, fencing, roofing, lumber lum-ber or w hat not. Nor doea tbls mean trading away from home. The prospect of a community com-munity order, a big sale without any effort, will usually bring from the retailer re-tailer terms as favorable as ran be obtained i-lsewhere. A retailer who Is not glad to make a substantial discount dis-count for a big order Is not worth patronage. pat-ronage. Tbls kind of co-operative buying requires re-quires no corporation, organization or capital stock. All it needs Is some one to work up the business and get signatures of respouslble men to an Igreement. Thus the farmers of the Falrland community bought for themselves a community hay-baling outfit. The farmers of the Burleson community own two auto trucks. Another group In the same community owns a threshing thresh-ing machine. There are scores of communities where stallions are owned co-operatively. Why not apply the same principles In these and other directions and put co-operation to work In your own neighborhood? |