THE MONTHLY BULLETIN. 451 



their ideas, and that only to one equally as well posted on market con- 

 ditions as themselves. There can be no misrepresentation and the in- 

 evitable resnlt is a tendency to strengthen market conditions. 



Cooperation also eliminates a powerful inflneuce in weakening market 

 prices in this way: 



When individual selling is done, each seller. tries to dispose of his 

 entire crop, thinking that his particular crop will have little, if any, 

 effect on conditions ; but at the same time there are hundreds of others 

 doing the same thing, and before it is realized, half to three-quarters of 

 the year's supply is sold almost at the same time, and this usually results 

 in a decline. To dispel any doubts concerning this, I might \ise this 

 illustration : 



If you want to buy a horse, and there are twenty sellers, you know you 

 will be able to buy cheaper than if there are only ten. I think this 

 makes my point clear. 



The seller for a cooperative concern goes into the market naming his 

 price. He is in a position to hold the market steady, for he controls the 

 supply. The consumer need have no anxiety for, with true cooperation, 

 there is no danger of prohibitive prices because, as soon as such a con- 

 dition existed consumption would shrink, and the supply, whether visible 

 or not, would exceed demand. Prices would be kept within the reach 

 of the consuming public. This is necessary for the success of the pro- 

 ducer, for to succeed he must sell all his products. However, he must, 

 of course, disjiose of them at a price that will reward him for his labor, 

 and bring him a reasonable return on his investment. In this connection 

 he has the consumer more at heart than the dealer, even though it be 

 from a selfish motive ; for his investment is permanent and he wants his 

 lands to be his life support, while the interests of the dealer are in the 

 goods he may momentarily have for sale, and he gives no thought to 

 anyone but himself. He makes what he can, knowing that the next 

 year the farmer will again fill his house at his — the dealer's price. 



Should the cooperative movement raise the price of fruits, say 1 cent 

 per pound, as it has done in the Raisin Association, what a difference 

 it would mean to you! It means the difference between comparative 

 ease and constant anxiety. And how little such an increase affects the 

 consumer, even allowing the present profits to the distributor, is shown 

 by the fact that on a basis of double the present per capita consumption 

 of two of our leading dried fruit products, the increase would amount to 

 only about 4 cents per year per capita in cost of living. 



It is a deplorable fact that, under the present system of individual 

 selling, quite a considerable percentage of the farmers give only the 

 minimum of attention to the preparation of their products for the 

 market. In other words, they put them only in such condition that they 

 will just pass inspection, and that is all. This we believe is due to their 

 feeling no responsibility after the goods leave their hands. The dealer 

 finds he has inferior goods on his hands and he in turn passes them on 

 because he has money invested in them, and he must protect himself. 

 The result is we have products of inferior quality on the market and 

 the inevitable result is decreased consumption ; and in the end the sale 

 of the perfectly prepared article is injuriously affected. Cooperative 

 marketing M^ould overcome this, as these same farmers would prepare 

 their products with the greatest care, keeping the inferior goods for 



