SIXTH ANNUAL YEAR BOOK — PART VIII. 855 



special function is suggested by its name. They are made up of the lead- 

 ing farmers of the different communities where co-operation thrives. 

 At present the most active men of the association are the secretary, 

 C. G. Meserole, Gowrie; Thomas McManus of Dougherty, the father of 

 the movement in Iowa, and a member of the arbitration and investigation 

 committee, and Edward Dunn of Burchinal, the traveling representative. 

 These men are in close touch with the situation in all parts of the state 

 and their time is largely taken up in what they term missionary work. 

 An excerpt from a letter, hundreds of a similar nature which they receive, 

 is given which shows the demands upon their time: 



"Dear Sir: We are in need of a farmrs' elevator in Lake City, is the 

 general opinion of the farmers around town. Since the elevator at Wight- 

 man has been running, farmers east of town can get from one to two 

 cents more per bushel than farmers west of the town." 



The secretary's report will show that he assisted in the organization 

 of forty societies during the past year. It is the opinion of the apostles 

 of the movement that before another crop moves, there will be 200 of 

 these organizations doing business. It is averred that the thing that will 

 bring this rapid growth about is the tendency on the part of the line 

 companies to rob one community in order to better fight co-operative 

 force at another point. The state association men, who are actively 

 engaged in the work have laid down certain principles which they are 

 endeavoring to follow: 



First — To secure for all the farmers in the state a just and fair return 

 for their labor. 



Second — to put a stop to the blacklisting, boycotting, persecuting 

 methods of the grain dealers' association and all other trusts masquer- 

 ading under the cloak of a trade orgaization. 



Third — To bring about a closer relationship and be tter feeling 

 between the legitimate business men and the producers. 



Fourth — To make graft and thievery disreputable and bring about 

 conditions in trade that will be possible for the business men and the 

 producer to practice the golden rule in their dealings with one another. 



XORTIIWEST IOWA LEADS. 



Northern Iowa leads in the co-operative movement. Cerro Gordo 

 county is the banner county, having nine organizations in active opera- 

 tion, with one in the course of organization, making a total investment 

 of about $150,000. Another stronghold for co-operative business is in the 

 vicinity of Gowrie. Along the Great Western line for a number of miles 

 each way from this place, each town has a society. The capital stock 

 varies from $2,000 to $1.5,000 at the outset of the organization. Last 

 year Rockwell transacted $3G5,000 worth of business and handled 

 about 440,000 bushels of grain. Stanhope in Webster county transacted 

 last year a quarter of a million of dollars of business. Rockford, Floyd 

 county, handled over 300,000 bushels of grain, and Dayton nearly twice 

 as much. Britt in Hancock county handled from Sept. 1, 1905, to 



