The Camden chronicle. (Camden, S.C.) 1888-1981, August 07, 1914, Image 6
<C'ourteay of W. H. Hatch.)
Germany JmporU Danish Co-operattve Cr?am.
Co-Operative Farm
Products Marketing
How It Is Done in Europe and May Be Done
in America to the Profit of Both
Farmer and Consumer
By MATTHEW 8. DUDGEON.
HOW THE GERMAN FARMER SELIS HIS BUTTER IN THE CITIES
Merlin, Germany The German
farmer calls upon cooperation to mc;1I
him Ills supplies. llo asks it to mur
ket hi? cgKH iuid li i h butter. It dla
t i 1 h alcohol Out of It i h potatoes ami
makes wine for him out of his fruit.
Everywhere in Germany you will find
co-oporntlve elevators and warehouses
for storing grain, co opera! I vo HOcI- |
otlcs for Improving thu breed of live
stock, co-operative hanks for furnish
ing loanH to momhcrH, cooperative in
surance companies for insuring
against every imaginable damage. ('O
opcrutlve societies ar.e formed to meet
the needs of agriculture at every turn
? producing the raw material, convert
ing the raw material Into salable form,
and placing the Mulshed product upon
the market.
"Agricultural co-operative' societies
have become ho numerous In (Jut-many
as almost to Jostle one another. There
are at the present lime more than 12'!, ?
000 of them." -Those are the words of
llenry WoltT, the great authority upon
agricultural cooperation, and we have
found his statemi'iit true;. These 2(5,
000 societies have nearly two and a
half million inenvbers. Over half of
these soc-tat.t*H nrc credit riibocI?H(j1i?,
which have a working capital of over
$400,000,000; Moreover!"* I he- number
of societies and tho number of mem
bers are constantly Increasing. Tho
German farmer who in his way Is an
Individualist and ?h Independent as in
the American farmer, has learned that
co-operation is his salvation and be
lieves in allying himself with Ills neigh
bors for the common economic de
fense.
How German Farmer Co-operates.
Everything tho Herman farmer does
ho does co-operatively. If he wishes
to purchase a farm he ge!s a 50 or GO
year loan from a Landschaften bank.
When he llnds It necossary to buy
Implements or live stock, or seedB, ho
uses money borrowed from a co-opera- j
tive credit society, making short time
loans. He gets his equipment of a co
operative store which furnishes him a
guaranteed article at the lowest poa- :
Bible price. For when co-operation sells .
to the farmer, everything from garden j
seeds to threshing machines is guar- j
anteed If lie wishes to insure his )
property he goes to a cooperative in- 1
suratice company, which will insuro j
his crops against Iosk by hail or wind; ;
another co operative insurance agency
insures his house against fire, while
another insures his live Mock against;
sickness, accident, or legal destruc
tion. following Hie discovery of tuber*- !
culosis or other contagious disease. !
Hiv stock cattle come to him from a
co-operative breeding farm. From Co- i
operative associations he gets his sci
entific instructions as to the care of I
his cattle, as to tin* best feeds, as to
the ? ure of animal diseases, as (o th * j
valuation of crops, as to fertilizers.
His milk and cream he takes to a co- j
operative creamery, from which It' Is I
sold cooperatively. His very liens!
lay co-operative .eggs which within an!
hour after they are laid may bear the
stamp of a cooperative organization..
Even the farmer's wife has a ton- (
tlency toward co-operation and is a.*!
alive to its advantages as Is the farm
er himself. Everywhere we And the
women intelligent and conducting
their domestic affairs as scientifically
as do the men their farms.
Water Supply Companies.
One form in which cooperation has]
evinced its efficiency in Germany is j
a rather unique one, and is one which j
at least In some parts of the I'nited {
States is worthy of careful study by
American farmers Scattered through
out Germany there are. many co-opera
tive societies for supplying water to1
its members. Theru ur?> in th** prov- j
ince of Hanover alone, for example, :;3 j
such companies Whether the commu
nity has been large or small, these
supply companies have generally sue-]
ceeded
The advantages of cooperation In
attacking the problem of water supply
have been thus summarized: "By co
operation a sufficient sura of money
can be raised to enable a source of wa
ter to be tapped, unquestionable as to
purity, softness and quality; 2. Co
vporatfon c;iiHuni? oxtrome economy In
maintenance and management; li. Co
operation (.?nabloK (ho smallest commu
nity to provide itself with a roally
good waV'i" supply."
It 1h not impossible that there Is in
thin German experience a suggestion
for the irrigation companies in western
America, where mismanagement and
grail seeni to iiave prevailed. Cer
tainly a truly co-operative association
ganlzed upon the ono man one voto
. plan, freed from ail motives of exces
sive or speculative profits, and man
aged with t lie efficiency that 1>h tradi
tional in co-opert.tivo concerns could
never have made shipwreck of so
many fair prospects as have some of
the Irrigation companies in the west
; ern states. ,
Plowing by Steam.
; The owners of the big wheat farms
in th?' northwestern parts of the United
States might sit up and take notice of
i some of t he co-operative power plow
companies which are operating in Ger
many. At present there are 4t> such
societies. The entire power equipment
is owned by the society, and Its mem
hers, even though they 'occupy com
paratively small farms, are by this
means enabled to have the benefit of
tli.e improved and cheaper work of the
power plow. Experience here shows
I that the power plowing plant, consist'
j ing of a set of plows, tackle and steam
j or electric power, cannot be main
i talned economically unless it has
something like 2.000 acres upon which
? to operate. The concerns are most care
fully managed. A good machinist is
always In charge of the outfit. In ad
dition to his salary he Is allowed a
.commission upon every acre plowed.
He has entire charge of thn operations
and requires all members to remove
all obstructions before work Is under
taken. The rates are carefully graded
according to the soil, the depth and
the accessibility. In some cases, Also,
a less charge is made for plowing dur- ,
Ing the slack periods, the price being
raised as the demand for services of
the equipment Increases.
Co-operative Automobiles.
It is said that e(very well-to-do Amer
ican farmer has an automobile. In
Germany.1 where the acreage Is small
and the farmer has less capital to in
vest in his equipment the farmer joins
with his neighbor to purchase' an auto
mobile and a large number of co-op
erative motor societies have been
formed. These machines, however,
are nut the touring care and runabouts
that are ordinarily used by the Ameri
ean farmer, but are the most prosaic
utilitarian motor trucks which can
move immense quantities of produce
over the hard level roads of the Ger
man provinces.
Gorman scientists and Inventors
have with great ingenuity produced
machinery that accomplishes with llt
tle effort almost everything which in j
years past calb^l for hard labor. The
demand for power is consequently
great and growing constantly. This,
has led to the organization of elec
trical supply works in connection with
other agricultural co-operative organ
izations Of these there are 510,
which are purely co-operative, al
though there are In Germany over
'2.000 companies which furnish more
or K'ss electrical power to those Inter
ested in agricultural pursuits.
Co-operative Societies Federated.
The co-operative spirit has not
ceased wher it has led the farmer to
co-operate with his neighbors to form
a local co-operative concern. The Ger
man genius for crganization has led
to a most i la borate system of -co-or
dination between the various local co
operate e assuc;.!':, ns For example,
all co-operative dairies within a prov
ince will be united together in a cen
tral association which unifies and har
monizes the work of all the local or
ganizations. These central provincial
societies are in turn in an empire
wide federation with headquarters at
Herlin You will therefore in that
city find several central concerns,
each of which Is allied with hundreds
of local societies This centralization
scheme has many advantages. It pro
: Tides for supervision, Inspection, and
! at <1 1 * "vhleh ? *?> rood accounting
' h) oi'MDi. .. it (.] i ?n?Khod?.
I Tt?o cwnlrcl ofHc?' .< i*y??n us a bureau
1 of information umj i.dvh <?. In cum o I
I marketing ! he ri'iiirul bo?'iety, by re a*
| MOII Of U Si H.lZQ tiliil lilllliu ifll rtHtOUI'Ct'H.
| jjetw ii.io iu;i?k? (h v\lii<h would be ||
together Inat c? HMlblx to the little lo
cal concern Without oentrulUAtion
Genual) co-operation would bo much
i loss effective than It In,
Increased Quantity.
Here In (furmauy, uh elsewhere. e<>
operation has uot only enabled the
fanner to make the most gut of what
ho produces, but has increased the
quantity and Improved tho quality of
the product ituelf. This has been trutv
in every line where cooperative or
ganizations have become active. The
results in dairyiiiK are fairly repre
sentative. In liradenburg testa were
made In 1908 which covered the pro
duction of over 1,000 cow*. The av
erage yield of milk per cow wan found
to be 2,661 kilograms, producing 95 k 1 1
ograms of butter, and netting a profit
of 108.06 marks per cow. In 1910 the
average yield had increased to 2,885
kilograms of milk, producing 101 kilo
grams of butter, and netting 132.65
marks profit for each cow, an increase
of 24.59 marks per cow, a matter of
|5,O00 on the 1,000 cows.
German Co-operation Democratic.
German cooporatlou is, to para
phrase tho recognized formula for
domocracy "of the memboru, by the
members, and for the members." No
body thlnkH of a German co-operative
society an organized for the purposo
of declaring dividends. The utmost
returnH that those who hold shares
receive Is a five or six per cent, profit.
If a creamory, for example, finds it
self with undivided profits it does not.
distribute tliem to tho members in pro
portion to; tho shares they hold, but
to tho members who as?patrons bring
in tho milk and cream, and they go to
them In proportion to tho quantity and
quality furnished by each. These
profits constitute as it were an addi
tional price, which the patrons receive
for their product. All, too, are man
aged upon the "one man one vote"
plan. The member who holds only one
share and orlngs in tho milk of only
one cow has the same voting power as
the farmer with a thousand shares and
a thousand cows. Co-operation is most
emphatically democratic.
Good Quality and Good Business.
German co-operators themselves
ascribe tho success of their societies
largely to good quality and good busi
ness methods. The societies pride
themselves upon , tho fact that th<;Jr
output is better than that of privately
owned plants. Their goods are in de
mand, they say, not because they are
co-operative goods, but because they
aro good goods. Tho societies almost
without exception have required that
managers shall bo skilled men with
both experience and training. These
positions pay good salaries, and can
didates spend time and money quali
fying themselves to hold them. As
a result these concerns are most busi
nesslike in every particular. The
plants are efficient, the emplojusrs
competent, and most excellent ac
counting systems are in vogue.
Co-operative Credit.
It is noticeable that In Germany
thero aro more co-operative credtt so
cieties than marketing societies. More
over, the average German enthusiast
German Co-operative Elevator.
will tell you that co-operation natu
rally begins with co-operative credit,
rather than with co-operative market
ing. It does not necessarily follow,
however, that In America co-operative
credit associations should precedo co
operative marketing. Conditions In
Germany differ greatly from those In
tho-'Unlted States.
In tho llrst place, the privately
owned banking house.s of Germany did
uot stjrvo tho German farmer even aa
adequately aa tho American banker !a
now serving the American farmer.
In tho second place, marketing In
Germany presents practically none of
the difficulties encountered In Amer
ica. Germany has by high tariffs forced
tho consumer to depend upon domes
tic production. The local demand for
almost every farm product exceeds tho
supply. As a result thero are two
buyers demanding butter, for example,
when only enough butter for one is
available.
There are no long hauls, as in Amer
ica, no long distance commission busi
ness Tho producer more nearly meets
the consumer face to face and gets Ills
price German marketing as compared
to American is direct, simple, arul free
from complexities
Wo must take the counsel of tho
German who ranks co-operative credit
as more important than co-operat i ve
marketing with caution, since he has
Jealt with reversed conditions We
are firmly convinced, after a careful
survey, that at least in America, the
more prosperous scheme of co-opera
tive marketing is more important than
co-operative credit.
Bank Stock
For Sale
I am offeiing for sale, within
30 <lays. I* iv? I houeapcl
($5,000) Dollars woi tli Of
stock of the Loan & Savings
Hank, of Camden, S. C.
L. L. CLYBURN
DeKALB. S. C.
BANK STOCK
WANTED
I hereby offer Five Thous
and Five Hundred Dollars
($5,500.00) for the 1" ive
Thousand Dollars of Loan
Savings Bank Stock, (50
shares) advertised by L. L.
Clyburn, that is to say,
ten per cent, above par.
Henry Savage
CAMDEN, S. C.
MONEY TO IX)AN.
On improved farms. Easy terms
I Apply to B. B. Clarke* Camden, S
C. 50.
. ?
CUT PRICES
READ THIS!
The prices we have been
making: the famers of this com
munity hat been the talk of the
county ever since we began
business a y^ar and a half ago.
We have now comleted ar
rangements whereby we can
furnish you with supplies at
the very lowest figures imagin
, able.
IT WILL PAY YOU
TO CALL AND SEE US
MURCHISON
Wholesale Supply Co.
Dr. I. H. Alexander Dr. R. E. Sterenson
Alexander & Stevenson
DENTISTS
OHict Southeast Corner Broad and DeKalb St?.
COLUMBIA LOMBER &
MANUFACTURING CO.
MILL WORK
SASH, DOORS, BLINDS
AND LUMBER
PLAIN & HUGER STS. Phone 71
COLOMBIA, S. C.
v ' /'(; ? ? ? ? ?
SAM WING LAUNDRY
? PHONE 91
915a Broad St., Camden, S. C.
Dr. E. H. KERRISON
i>KN;risT
Successor to I)r. L. W. Alston
Office In the
Maim lluilriiiiK Phone 1 H5
Farm Lands For Sale
lMantatlon of Mrs. T. R. Team in West Wateree, seven miles from Cam
den, 'J.V'2 miles from Lugoff. Tract contains 1373 acres, 800 acres open land ;
some good timber on place; one good dwelling, 2t5 tenant houses, barns and
gin house, Rents for 35 bales of cotton; good tenants and plenty of labor.
This is one of the best plantations in Kershaw County, and will pay good
interest on investment at price offered. Terms reasonable.
510 acres, more or less, known as the Spencer Place, situated 12
miles Southwest of Camden on the Coulter's Ferry Road; 100 acres of
open land, two horse farm under cultivation; land lies well; good
stream running water; plenty of wood and gqod quantity of timber
on this tract. Price $10 per acre*
Farm of W." E. DeLoache, situate 2 1-2 miles Southeast of Camden
containing 27 0 acres; 150 acres of open land, part of this under cul
tivation; timber and wood enough for place; laud producing well; ad
joining lands have sold for $80.00 per acre; one five room dwelling,
a good barn and seven tenant houses. For sale at $35.00 per acre.
The Doby Place containing 450 acres 3 miles of Blaney; 250 acres
open land, a part of this under cultivation; 100 acres pasture land
under wire; some good open creek land, plenty of wood and some
timber on tbe place; good buildings; one overseers house,; 6 tenant
houses and two barns. Twenty-five mile creek runs through this pro
perty. Prion $7,500. Terms: 1-4 cash, balance in three years at the
usual rate of Interest.
361 acres on Town Creek, four miles south of Camden; 60 acres
open land; two tenant houses. Will sell at a bargain. Plat of same
can be seen at our office.
13 7 acres on Lockhart Road known as the Wheat Place; seventy
one acres under cultivation; 3 tenant houses and one dwelling. Price
$22.00 per acre.
100 acres three miles from Camden betweeen the Kershaw and
Liberty Hill Road; 50 acres under cultivation; one four room dwell
ing and barns. Price $35.00 per acre.
7 5 acres adjoining City Limits, known as Race Track Place of H.
G. Carrlson; one good overseer's house, several tenant houses and
barns; improvements first class; lantfs In high state of cultivation.
Prico Reasonable. t
1,900 acres eight miles from Camden, on Charleston ftoad, on
Southern Railway with siding and ware house; one new over-seer's
house, eight tenant houses, 1 large barn, 1 gin house and equipment *
and 1 cotton house. 1,200 acres swamp land, excellent for cattle or
bay culture;; 650 acres upland. 300 acres of the upland being of the
finest land in the state and in the highest state of cultivation. Price
$21 an acre. Very easy terms.
352 acres of land knowW as the Creed property, eight miles North
of Camden; 200 acres open land, some timber and plenty of wood on
place; one half mile from good school; one five room dwelling, barns,
one store building and ten tenant houses. Price on application.
Terms: one-third cash, balance to suit purchaser.
Small farm, property of H. M. Flncher, one mile East of Camden;
one new $1,200 dwelling and barns; land in high state of cultivation
10 acres of this land produced seven 500 weight bales of cotton and
144 bushels of corn. Price $3,000. Terrms 1-6 cash, balance at 7
per cent on easy terms. .
Wo also have listed with us a good selection of City property.
C. P. DuBose & Company
Real Estate City Property Farm Lands