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Show Ten Commandments of Co-Operation y q a I. Thee shalt have and support one well organized purely co-operative non-profit marketing system; owned and controlled by the co-operative growers themselves. II. Thou shalt not continue to support sup-port the competitive marketing system; sys-tem; nor be deceived by tempting, inflated offers of the speculator; noi help him to break up your co-operative association, for when the noltom drops out of the market he folds his tent and steals away, leaving the grower to find his own market. Many generations of growers have been deceived de-ceived by such practices: You cannot can-not be a true co-operator, and continue con-tinue to compete. III. Thou shalt not "cuss out" your own co-operative organization, just because the speculative cash uuyer, temporarily pays some of your neighbors neigh-bors outside of the association, a little lit-tle more than the market price, and takes a loss in order to make you dissatisfied with your association. You are just as much responsible for the success of your association as any other member, and it is up to you to help remedy its defects. Co-operation is not automatic. IV. Remember the Co-Operative Movement Move-ment and keep it growing. Five years is the shortest period you can-afford can-afford to try it out. Thou shaltnotdo anything against it; thou,' nor they neighbor, nor thy neighbor's neighbor, neigh-bor, nor anybody -;o cure: anything for his neighbor. You have gotten the small end of the dep.! lor many wears under the competitive system; therefore, you cannot afford to treat lightly the Co-Operative Movement, which is your best remedy. V. Honor the men who have helped build up the Co-Operative Movement by giving it your own hearty support; and thou sbalt prosper in the land, and be able to buy an automobile, or at least a "fliver" for your family. VI. Thou shalt not kill the enthusiasm of your Co-cperative neighbors, by your own hisy indifference and selfishness, sel-fishness, or by "knocking" co-operation. VII. Thou shalt not attempt to mix cooperation co-operation with competition, by placing plac-ing the marketing for your association associa-tion in the hands of those who will speculate in your products for their own profit; nor employ a secret enemy ene-my of co-operation as manager of your association. VIII. Thou shalt not rob thyself, thy neighbor and the buyer, by shipping an irregular or dishonestly graded or packed product as first grade; or other such dishonest practices. All forms of cheating or dishonesty are unprofitable, and injure the robber more than the one who is robbed. IX. Thou shalt not bear false witness against co-operation; nor aid, the organized opposition of its enemies, by repeating or circulating false reports, re-ports, half truths and rumors, which have been gathered to gether by the enemies of co-operation for the express ex-press purpose of deceiving the producer, pro-ducer, and increasing their own private profits, at the producers' expense. ex-pense. X I Thou shalt not covet for thyself, thy son or thy wife's nephew, rebates or other secret form of graft or income in-come handed out by speculators for the purpose of breaking up co-operation; as such Income is uncertain, short-lived and injurious; because it is not paid as honest compensation for a real service performed, but rather as a form of bribery to accomplish ac-complish selfish purposes. Co-operative marketing is constructive and economically sound, secures a more even distribution, stabilizes markets, increases prices to the producer, and reduces the risks of the legitimate buyer; while competitive marketing is fundamentally unsound, wasteful and unprofitable, and cannot long continue without the support of the producers. It is therefore more profitable to co-operate than to compete. com-pete. Western Farm Life. |