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Co-operative insurance has long since ceased to be but an experi- 

 ment. Millions upon millions of dollars of fire insurance is carried 

 throughout the country by such companies. Rates have been ma- 

 terially reduced, and adjustments are made upon merit and justice 

 instead of by avaricious and technical methods. 



The co-operative creamery in thousands of cases has been of great- 

 est benefit, and when intelligently organized and conducted has almost 

 invariably been successful; and right here let me mention a possible 

 combination which can be carried on to great advantage with the 

 creamery plant, where the same management, same steam plant and 

 many other factors beside would work very auspiciously together. 

 This combination is the co-operative bakery and the co-operative 

 laundry. Why should not the overworked country housewives, where 

 the help question is so hard of solution, be relieved by up-to-date 

 bakery and laundry methods which are enjoyed in the cities? There 

 are thousands of plants of this kind in operation in Europe where 

 such co-operation is enjoj^ed. 



Co-operative marketing is of the greatest importance if the " high 

 cost of living," the now ever-present cry of the city consumer, is to 

 cease. And yet at the same time there are many instances where 

 the products of the farm waste in the field. Great gavings can be 

 made by co-operation in the purchase of supplies, and this can be 

 worked to the greatest advantage in connection with the selling as- 

 sociation, the same plants answering for both. By the combination 

 of the two the association will be enabled to hire a competent man- 

 ager, upon which so largely depends the success of all our efforts at 

 co-operation. 



Many States have enacted laws with the object in vieAv of aiding 

 co-operative efforts. In New York State a law for the incorporation 

 of co-operative associations which is especially adapted to such 

 organizations was enacted. Another act passed by the same Legisla- 

 ture authorized the Commissioner of Agriculture to appoint a 

 superintendent of co-operation, whose duty is to assist in organi- 

 zation work. Such appointment was made, and the work is being 

 carried forward in conjunction with the farm bureau. The New 

 York State Grange Co-oijerative Committee are drafting plans of 

 organization, and an organizer is to be appointed whose duty will 

 be to assist local granges in organizing for co-operative work. Very 

 many elaborate jDlans are being presented for bringing the producer 

 and the consumer into closer relation, some of which have a great 

 deal of merit. However, a word of warning should be given, for 

 these schemes offer great opportunity for shrewd promoters to get 

 rich at the expense of the would-be co-operators. In other cases, 

 where there is no backing by those experienced in handling faim 

 produce, so many difficulties are sure to arise with which the un- 

 initiated will not be able to cope that their failure is certain. The 



