386 Journal op the Department of Agriculture. 



the precept of proving all things and holding fast that which is good. 

 Local conditions should carefully be studied and the systems in vogue 

 elsewhere should be modified to suit our own requirements. 



When once the society has been safely launched, the closest atten- 

 tion should be given to the management. 



The individual producer is likely to gauge the requirements of 

 management by the size of his own particular business, and very often 

 falls short in his estimate when he is called upon to act on the board 

 of directors and is charged with the responsibility of providing an 

 efficient management for the successful handling- oi a collective busi- 

 ness. It is, therefore, of the utmost importance that care should be 

 exercised by the members in selecting from amongst themselves the 

 men into whose hands the direction of the affairs of their association 

 will be entrusted. It should be remembered that the success of a co- 

 operative association depends very largely on efficiency in manage- 

 ment and the only factor which should, therefore, be considered in 

 selecting the members of the board should be "fitness." There 

 should be no " respect of persons " in the sense of a man and his 

 relations. 



The great difficulty, however, in most co-operative organizations 

 is the lack of appreciation of the need for a high order of organizing 

 and business ability on the part of the employees. This is very often 

 noticeable in the appointment by the directors of the manager and 

 othei: officials. 



No business can ever become a success if the officials, and especi- 

 ally tlie manager, are incompetent, and a co-operative association is 

 certainly no exception to this rule. 



There is often also a tendency on the part of the members to rely 

 too completely upon the directors for the proper conduct of their joint 

 affairs, and, similarly, on the part of the directors to delegate their 

 functions to the manager, or such other person as is charged with the 

 performance of the practical business of the association. If, in such 

 circumstances, the "integrity of the manager is beyond reproach, and 

 he is a highly capable person who has at the same time a clear con- 

 ception of the underlying purpose of the organization, all may be 

 well, but if this is not the case, then the co-operative association is 

 bound to be short-lived. 



One of the problems which the management always has before it 

 is the keeping alive of the interest of the members, who should be 

 encouraged to take an active part in the development and organization 

 of their society. Their confidence should be gained by keeping them 

 fully posted with the details of the business ; the methods employed 

 should be an open book to them, and there should be nothing mysterious 

 about the management and control of the business. 



The answer to the question as to the manner in which the manage- 

 ment should proceed in putting the society's produce on the market 

 covers a very wide field. Generally speaking, it becomes a matter of 

 adaptability to local conditions and circumstances, while much 

 depends on the particular kind of produce which the society has for 

 disposal. It may be to the advantage of a society formed for the 

 disposal of a certain kind of produce to establish depots and sell the 

 produce by retail, in which case great care should be taken to secure 

 the services of a manager who is thoroughly versed in that class of 



