41 



"The manager has the power to buy food stuffs and to sell grain, look after the trans- 

 mission of food stuffs, appoint the clerks and present the annual report. He is also re- 

 sponsible that the goods are insured against fire and disaster at sea. 



"Orders are submitted through the presidents of the local associations. 



"Goods are paid for by the associations inside of a month. 



"If any shareholder purchases goods anywhere else than through, the association, he 

 is liable to a fine of 50 cents per 100 pounds. 



"Should the head office on account of bad weather, etc., be unable to supply share- 

 holders with goods ordered they are at liberty to obtain what they need from other sources. 



"Any surplus is divided among the shareholders according to the purchases of food 

 stuffs. 



"Each year 25 per cent of the surplus is added to a reserve fund. 



"Should any shareholder desire to sell grain through the head office, it is the duty of 

 the manager to arrange such a sale." 



This association is far reaching in many ways. It deals in all manner of foods suited 

 for farm animals, purchasing them in the most favourable markets throughout the world. 

 It goes to Mexico for cotton seed cake and to Manchuria for soja bean cake. It secures 

 large quantities of barley from Russia, and when corn is cheap enough ship loads are bought 

 in the United States. Oil cake stands at the head of its purchases, of which considerably 

 more than 100,000,000 pounds were purchased during the year ending May 31st, 1909. 

 Sunflower cake, used chiefly for cow feed, is heavily purchased, over 60,000,000 pounds 

 being imported during the year; then comes corn, barley, bran, hemp seed cake, etc., in 

 the order named. By a careful system of inspection and analysis all foods purchased are 

 guaranteed to be of good quality. The transactions of the association for the year indicated 

 involved no less than 308,000,000 pounds, costing about $4,750,000. The foods are paid 

 for by the members at the prevailing local market price quoted by regular feed merchants. 

 At the end of the year the profits belonging to each member are remitted. The net profits 

 for the year 1908-09 amounted to about $200,000. It will therefore be seen that by skill- 

 fully managed co-operation the Danish farmer gets his feeds at a comparatively low price. 

 It is this kind of intelligent thrift that has placed the Danish bacon producer at the head 

 of his class. 



The following table gives the market prices in dollars per ton of 2,000 pounds of barley, 

 corn and middlings in Denmark, Canada (Toronto) and England, during July, 1909: 



Denmark. Canada. England. 



Barley $26 50 $26 65 $27 66 



Corn 31 46 29 00 31 60 



Middlings 33 38 26 00 28 00 



NOTE. The middlings quoted for Denmark consist of a low grade flour a heavier 

 food than middlings quoted in Canada and England. This accounts for the great difference 

 in price between Denmark and the other countries. The values of foods quoted for Den- 

 mark, Canada and England are taken from published market reports as they appeared 

 in reliable newspapers of July, 1909. Danish farmers who purchase feed through the co- 

 operative feed buying associations, secure a rebate of the profits at the end of the year as 

 explained above. 



Co-operative Bacon Packing. 



Most Canadians to any extent interested in bacon production are more or less familiar 

 with the Danish System of Co-operative curing. The subject has been discussed and 

 written about a great deal during the past few years. The Commission visited a number of 

 the Danish co-operative curing factories and learned as much as possible of the system on 

 which they are conducted. 



