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Co-Gperative Farm Products Marketing How It /. f Done in Europe and May He Done in America to the Profit of Both Farmer and Consumer JS> MATHKW fc. D CDC. RON f l>;t J>M VV f !? W kO^|>rrf. Cniort > A VISIT TO PADDY GALLAGHER Where the Co Operative Concern Now Buye and 8ella. rhrnfclervr, County pom-gal, Ireland ? Tht./u a story of the grand uphill flghi tor self-respectl ng. economic In der ?-r>'V?nc? which 1? being made hy , a bunch of cheery Irish laun In County lx>u* ,{al. At the head of this fighting group Ih Paddy Gallagher, an organ* lzer iiid a promoter if there ever was ori*'?. But lu a promoter, no', of hiH own fortune*, but the promoter of community welfare. Thl? is also the fctory of v. hat a godsend a co-operative organization <yin be to a community vtil'h 'i.u.: men, in an nconom'.c sense, hard i-trb ken hy nature, Nature fiooTi)'* to h<tv*? exhausted herself In the agricultural yit t* showered on eastein and ivou'hern Ireland and to have !*?&* died Dungtow, In Codnty Jx/tl t ul. v. it.h nothing left in her gift b..* ? .eept a' few little patched of cold, mi |i>v (r')fi Hi vi; soil which she scattered Jii-rf.'rind there among the huge out cm i k rock a of 'he h arren hlUtddea rif-u .? })??< *v <*<?(? t h " wide stretches of d< : oi l!" ' i>OgS. f-s : id a" are hero b'.cauK.-; Sir l'o- w,- I/!;;;, U"M. has said thai this 1> rl<-. p |., ".<? all O'h'rs to visit., if v.r. f?T(< iin.i Wli-.li to u " . what co (ii.t-v-t '? on w i;.i do toward helping an ? omo'Mn.fy h''r,i'.? li a living out c. ; !. rot i hill v, ou the hi<^k north-, v, i -it i e i) <<)<? -' of In land V/h'> P ,t (j i) y Is. p v '??.! iijgh':i" v. an born forty y .... M. 'I if; of th<- poor oueroo:n c i <.-= wn a barn.n liir i'*n Blt. jv jfimg a eot'age that had til" v ,} at 1. 1 : ? ? door. When I 'add" V,;(* ;i?- he .1 ?> (mJI r ?u : to work at tKn.r r.ij ?, i-tr months' work 1 ' i s ',i'h< r 'li(l not do this Hort of tli!':-; b'-caiMO he wanted the little hu'f tr-.fi ah'avor to work beyond )j, i s .l: ? ngt tcit l?w'int!tf >t was either ?\ r i. , r i'.idd / or ^larvatiofi for still ywv.vr and ak?*r children After tl :-.t i!;or?; v, a.s nothing for Paddy hut hard work, and low wages until h*> voi* rrn'.vn and hRd Htarted a family cf hi'-; ov\ 1 1 ? 1 *iit liirt work had taknn him into o'I.it j.la*?'ri. into Srotland and Htig i n -I and h?* cain?' iiack with the real 1 . ;.,i, i hu i. lit" in Oungalow was not v lis' :t ough' to he I'neducated. w ork- w<jrn without any outlook of prt mi o for iiiuiKcIf or iiiw family. hoiii< thing brought Paddy (Jallagher tl.f i *? ili/ation that ho and Iuh nfigh* b<M? togothnr might do what ?;ach 8<?p* a>-. i <-?! y r-f'iiild not do S<>. with tho a? -iftanro of i lit* Irish Agricultural O - aiion Kiciety, rooporatlon wan . br(/tighi to Dnnt'.alow How It Started. Gnlhighnr who had h'T-n Htudying H<>ii~ Mul muiiurcH, learned thai ac cording to government analysla the f ? ; ( ' his > .t'ioii ii '-ederi certain dell li i t ? * f hemii-al e|eni.-nt ^ lit; linked lo cal ''.v'ers ,f th-y rr?u I<1 give him any g iarai.i v ot analysis of the manures ft o | '{ \/\ thi-ni M?* was Informed that tnry nevei ^ ?i such a thing, know at>o;i? ii and tould give no guaranty. ilo wrot<' ti> tho agricul tural department about it They re tni T"d him to tho Irish Agricultural V, ii < 1 < ale society. From thorn ho learnt <1 that this society at that time dealt only with local co-operative comeraH So thit* larrn hoy, with surprising perh.Ki?-n<'?-. gathered together the email t.irmei* and pointed out to them tho ud vantages to ho gained as to quality ami price hy purchasing guar nntoorj manures direct Irom tho co- , operative wholesale noeiety The re sult whs that the farmers ordered a i 1 20-ton lot of fertilizer through a little CO-operatlve society in an adjoining , village. They found that they waved j $'!<W on the manures and l? d? so . cured super ;>hosph.ite of ::<i p--r rent Instead of per cent strength and dissolved bono Instead of worthless compounds The battle for ro-opera tlon was already half u on lor there wan no further nuesthu: as to th?: ad vantages to be gained through co operation. The "Gombeen Man. "The old mothods of buying and sell Jrrr v-ero the cauBO of much poverty in this district," said Mr. Gallagher. ?'The t uidera -ktvm -generally kept the p ihlic houses. They were gombeen met: ? mono} lenders. Poor farmers here could not pay cauh for what they >ought. They bad to get goods on credit. Once a farmer got Into debt to these retail dealers he seldom got lLT.trr<J"1 tbe bi* mJul's clutches. While be was In this stata he was no better than a slave. He was charged tremendous price* and had to pay big interest I. myself have been charged interest on what I bought on credit at the rate of 144. per cent, per annum. My father had this sort of Interest to pay while he was bringing up his fam ily. That Ih where the thred pounds went that it took me si* months to earn when i started to work. What Co-Operation Is Doing. "Hut. notwltstanding the Rrnailness of the holdings, and the poor soil, con ditions in IXinglop are improving I never knew an organization to do so much for a community as the Temple crono .Co-operative Agricultural socl "ty is doing fr/r Dunglotv. The so ciety started in a little one-room cot tage on a farm where f lived. We bo Kan by buying manures and later a few. groceries. We had fierc? opposi t o.'j at ftr^t from the gombeen man and traders. as fierce as any communi ty ever had. Some of the members v>'f-re In debt to the gombeen mm and had to come Into the cooperative quar tern at night and over the back walks i/i order to conceal from the gombeen wan that they were "members. If .'lie gombeen men found out that any-' one trading with thern was- trading >ith uh they .refused him credit and issued . ft writ if he ou ? d thern."' A Little Democracy. wish ,J() on(. any ill. We do not do business that way. \Ve have simply demanded tin- right ro attend to our own little affairs. We meet in our Mule parliament here to discuss our business. We have given some entertainments which have brought the pnople nearer together and given thfem a good time. This year we or ganized an Industrial show iu which , we exhibited everything which we pro duced here, including lace and knit goods, an well as some of our farm products. We did this to encourage others to make these things. Nov/ wo are looking around to get some little local industry started. We need something of the kind 4>adly KO that more- money can come into the com munity. I, ace making, knitting and work of that kind is important, too, for every little helpH here. We are willing to werk when we can. On the Up-Grade. "The boys are learning to farm bet ter than their fathers farmed. We are raising better cows, and pigs and chickens, and producing better, eggs l>Oultry and meat than we ever did before Through our little co-opera tive society we. have a steady market ?t good prices for all we can raise. We are not rich, for this is not a rich country, and never can be There are too many stones and bogs in Don ?Kal for that. Hut we are doing our best, and we are Kolng to reach a point soon where every roan can go up and down Dunglow and say that ho owes no man anything. Coopera tion has bought uk together, and wo are all good friends We are not I fighting with each other any more. I Wo are helping i?nr^ other. We are Ht I dohig business on a very small Hcalo. of oourse We are poor people, and we must always be that. There >? no chajice for wealth In a nv<, or six-acre farn We raise a little patch of oatn for oatmeal for our family. Most of us get enough potatoes off onr little places to last u? through the year. We couldn't live withojitpota iq!io ^r?M k"?w the Kreat famine or 1 4 8 ? whon 80 "?any died in Ireland, was caused wholly b> potato blight The children around here are almost brought up on potatoes They get mashed potatoes. vUth a little milk in it. before they are weaned. They grow i UP <?n It and sometimes have little olBe. Co-operation has helped us to , Hell what we have, and wr are do!n* llr*t rate J ft Cost of Living i "By purchasing *oods dlrrct from i original sources, this society has made i t possible for the poorest farr.ier to fertilize his potato patch and in I crease rbe rrop whlch he raises The it?j? wbkrh come tfaro?*h it art t?V ?d aad guaranteed m they never were before It has lowered th? price and improved the quality of U*. ladlaa meal end sugar In oi??- cam? for ei tuple, where a rival trader was chars lag $3.07 for teiea stona of flovr w* were offering the Mine flour at $2 2$ I for the seven atone "You may be Interested In knowing about what en ave/age family here I lien for an income, w here be get* it and what be ha* to cat I have made out A Httto stauo^ent ao you eould figure that out. To begin frith, 'evejy i farmer has hi* own potatoes and oau. i Besides this, his income is aometbing l?ise this; "Egg s and poultry, per week, about Ave shillings ($?5 per year). "Hotter tor about IK or 20 weeks in summer, one to two shillings ($7 per yea r). ' oa U- of cattle possibly 12 pounds e?ch year <$S0 per year), ' Hale of sheep, one pound (95 per year). "A total of ,$137 per year. ' Besides this, the women earn a little something by knitting sweaters and making lace, etc. Marketing Eggs. "You wHI notice that eggs are our staple product. The average poor farm family around here gets each ; year frorn 12 to 15 pounds out of their eggs, which is generally about half of their entire money income. Before we took hold, however, egg raising ; was not at all profitable, There wa& no steady market, the farmers did Dot understand poultry, and no one had any ambition to learn anything about It They didn't take care of their eggs well and few were sold. "Previously the local price waa two or three pence less than the price i quoted in the nearest market In Straw bane and Derry. Now the prlcee paid are from one to two pence above the prices quoted in these markets. In other words, we have Increased the value of a dozen eggs from three to four pence (si* to %ight cents). For the entire district, this amounts to quite a sum- You must remember al?o that while we purchased only one-tenth of the eggs sold lathis par iHh, the fact that we at (?>tfiif?low are paying the prions which pay has made It necessary for every other buyer in the entire parish to pay the same price. Irish Lace and Knitted Goods. "Our co-operative company looks af te r a good many things besides seLl- ! lug eggs and butter. We are helping the girls market their lace and knitted j work. T wo yearn ago we asked the 1 government department to send us an , instructor to teach the girla to make j hand-knit sport 'coats (sweaterft).j They sent a man to look it up. He j talked with some of the men here | who were not friendly to this co-op eratlve movement. Nothing was done. Our glfls were getting one shilling ; six pence (1G cents) for knitting a' dozen .pairs of socks, using up from j three and a half to four pounds of wool. These socks were purchased of ( the women by an agent of a whole-! sale trader. "The co-operative society decided they could do better by the girls than these buyers. Since they started buy ing, the girls get seven shillings six pence ($1.87) from the society for knitting a sweater coat, using only two j pound* of wool and taking only one- ; half as long as a dozen pair of socks. Putting it another way, for the same amount of wool and the same time spent in knitting, the girls get 15 shillings ($3.75) instead of one shil ling six ponce (3G cents). That is, our socjety is paying them ten times what they used to get from the other buy ers for their knitting. Formerly the girls who knit lace were bound by a bargain under which if they sold to any one privately they were boycot ted. The buyer told them unless they sold him all he would buy nothing. Now wo ate getting fairly good prices for the lace, better than they got be fore and we, of course, permit them to sell wherever they can. They fre quently have oportunity to sell to tourists and others ?yvho come through here. While we get fairly good prices for the lace, there is no steady market for it, as there is for the knitted goods. Connected With Central Society. "Our little local society could not stand alone and do what we are try* ing to do. We are helped all the time by Sir Horace Plunkett's organization Boclety and by the Co-Operative While salt* society at Dublin. Each week the wholesale society sends us a fore cast giving the figures that should be obtained for eggs, butter and chick ens, and stating whether or not there is to bo a demand for these products. Each day we writo to the wholesale society, telling them what wo have on hand and what we will likely have. Sometimes we telegraph. Then they may either write or telegraph back what they want us to send and whan and where to nend It. We send it, not to Dublin, but directly to the places selected by the wholesale society. In this way wo save freight, we Bare commission, wo save tjme. and we save the eggs themselves. "You must not get the idea," Mr. (iallHgher continued, "that thia con cern is a large mercantile establish ment. Wo know enough to know that we can only do business in a modest way. We think we are doing it well, and we hope it will continue to grow ah it has in the past I am more and moro convinced," he adds, "by what T see every day. that if we want to have a happy and contented people, hero co-operation is the best means for bringing it about " And so they are making a fight that would put the ordinary American community to shame? a fight that Is gradually mak ing this desolate region habitable and this hard-working people happy IXJlM.fc DiKMlOia 8ur ClSfHf So. 4. hi A M , ue*ia (bird TiwKday in wci Hioiiib. ft. T. Ooodtle, K H 1*. : C. |f. (iriffin. K.; L T- Mills,] jkrlbo, ('. P, I>uBom?. 8?cr?Ary K?r*bit* No. ' isr.' A K. >' *.] (O46t0 first T uMtday in . each 1 ?month. M It. Uoodale, W. M ; j VV\ Oeb't nhe tker, Treat.; S. C ArnKi. Secretary Jr. V. V ? A M.. meet* fourth Fr?. day nig^t tu cacti month C ?'? . JisKUWori-, J. P. li&tciiuij. K. tf. -? - . - f*i v<- 0-?k Camp ,*o. 4 3?. W O W first Thursday nUM in each mouth. C. W. Birchmor* , C. C.r W. B. Johnson. Clerk r^Knib 1-odge No. 41. K. of me* c j. hcciKxl ami fourth. Mon day night* iu each mouth. V (J. Wtliiou. C. C.; M. H. Heynian K. of It. & 8f Poplar Camp No. W. (>. W. meetii Monday night on or befor* *the full moon in each month. T J. Munnerlyn, C. If. F 8J row. Clerk. \nttoch l^?dge, No. 293, a F M meet a Thur<?Jay night on or !>?? i foro full moon In caeh month. 1 ; W. Joy, W. M.; VV. It. Dsn fs, j W.,; U H Whiff, J W. K1eh?vd Kir.lt land Council. No. 13*' Jr. O. U, A. M.. (AnHocb) me.eU First Thursday night after ful moon in each mon'h- F. I). Hoy kin. C. W. Shiver, It. 8. i. < i > ?- 1 1 ?- < ouitcil No, 1, It, A. 8. M. . meets second Tuesday in eacl ? month. c. Hi Griffin, T. I, M,, j It T. QoOdiffr k. 1. 1j. M; J . t Rowan. 1. p. c. W.; A. "W. Hur- j iiett, ltecorder. ai>ministhatokk XOtH'K, A|l Dirties Indebted to the K?tat? of H. F. BQVcII are hereby notified -to make payment to the undersign ed, and parties having claims agains , the said Ksta'e will present then) duly a. tested to the undersigned with'n (he time pre.,< ribed by law. D. it. Sowed, Administrator of the Estate of B. F. Howell. ? ? t'amden. S. C., Jan. 15, 1914. FI.N.%1, MHCHAtUiE. Notice is hereby given that one iiMtnth from this date, on Saturday, pVKjjjwry 21, 1914, I will present to the Probate Court of , Kershaw county my final account hs Admin istrator of the estate of J. N. Nich olson, deceased, and apply to said Court for letters, nismissory of the buid estate. C. S. Nicholson, Administrator. Camden, S. C., Jan. 20, 1914. FIN AC IHHCIf^KGK. Notice is hereby given that on< j month from this date on Saturday j | January ill, 1914, I will apply t< ' ?he Probate Court . of Kershaw Coun I ly for a final discharge as Ad minis : ?fator <le bonis non, cum testament' ! I anne.ro of the estate of Chariot?" I A, Cantey, deceased. Thomas Ancrum Boykln, [ <*amden, S. C., Dec. 27, 1912.. / FINAL I)ISCHAIU;K, Notice is given that one month from this date on Monday, Febru ary 23, 1M14, 1 will make to the I Probate Court of Kershaw County ) my final return as Administrator of the Cstate of John W. Seeders, de ceased, and apply to said Court for Letters- IMsrhij-sory. J. M. So well, Administrator. i Camden, S. C., Jan. 22, 1914. Don't Throw It Away ? t Bring Your Broken Parts to W. 0. HAY'S GARAGE ( at Singleton's Old Bakery stand and have them weld ed ? made stronger than rtiew by the Oky-Acety lene WeldingjProcess. This process saves the cost of automobile parts, to say nothing of the annoyance of delays in or dering new. Wood's Celebrated Grass and Clover Seed Mixtures Are specially'preparcd for differ ent soils and purposes. They give the largest yields of Hay and Pasturage. Wood's 1914 Descriptive Catalog gives the profitable and satisfactory ex perience of farmers w ho for years have hren sowing Wood's Special Gran Mixtures, with tlie best permanent re suits. Wood * Catalog also gives the fullest information about all other. Farm and Garden Seeds. Catalog mailed free. Write for ij. T. W. WOOD & SONS. Seedsmen, - Richmond, Va. TO THE PUBLIC . We wish to notify the public that the old ettab. lished Sam Wing Laundry will be managed hereafter i by W. S. Lee, and we still wish your patronage. Laundry collected and delivered to all parts of the city. SAM WING LAUNDRY 915' j Broad St. Phone 91 Camden, S. Funerals Directed We supply the best of burial goods, con duct funerals and ? relieve families and friends of many unpleasant duties ince? dent to death. We are always prepared to serve those who need our service. B. R. McCREIGHT, CAMDEN, s. c. OXYGEN CARBON CLEANER We have installed an Oxygen | Carbon Cleaner and can make your motor new like it was when first bought. ASK US ABOUT IT I Camden Motor Co. New Fancy Hand Lapndry My work is guaranteed to give perfect satisfaction- ? am prepared to do your work promptly and at reasonable prices. All domestic finish. I wish kind friends to help me out and give me a trial order and be convinced. WORK CALLED FOR AND DELIVERED JIMMIE LEE, 539 East DeKalb Street. CAMDEN, SO. CAR. IN SEARCH OF Spring Millinery Miss Mattie Gerald will leave next week for the Northern and Eastern Mar- > kets in search of the latest - Spring Styles for her Millin ery Parlors.