ORGANISATION. 183 



elevators succeeded in raising the price of corn — to the dealer, 

 not the consumer, who had gained nothing by the dealer's under- 

 bidding — by about four or five cents, per bushel. The dealers at 

 once took to boycotting the co-operating farmers. However, the 

 farmers stood firm. The movement accordingly spread rapidly. 

 Joint Stock companies were acquired by the farmers and trans- 

 formed into co-operative societies. There are no figures avail- 

 able to show the actual magnitude of the trade as it stands at 

 present. But not long ago, the Farmers' Grain Dealers' Associa- 

 tion of Iowa, the state in which the movement took its birth, 

 handled 115,500,000 bushels in the year, in which it gained the 

 farmer members three cents per bushel, a matter of $3,465,000 

 (£693,000). Besides financially benefiting the seller of grain, 

 the movement was shown to have a decidedly beneficial 

 effect in improving the grading to the advantage of the public. 

 All in all there are understood to be now in the United States about 

 2,900 elevator societies, with about 375,000 stockholder members, 

 whose investment amounts to about $30,000,000 (£6,000 ,oco), 

 and which do an annual trade of more than $600,000,000 

 (£120,000,000). How large is the financial benefit accruing to 

 the co-operating farmers it is impossible to say with precision. 

 However, the farmer members of the Middle West alone, a few 

 years ago, computed their profits at $50,000,000. Supposing 

 that it is only half," says Mr. Danforth, " that is $25,000,000, 

 the benefit is still sufficiently large to make the undertaking 

 attractive." 



In Canada the movement, copied from what had been done 

 in the United States, was taken up only later. It was, of 

 course, the signal success achieved in the United States 

 which prompted it. The " Manitoba Grain Growers' 

 Association," which has now about 12,000 members, with 

 about 300 local associations, was formed in 1899. It handles 

 about 30,000,000 bushels of grain each year, has paid a 

 10 per cent, dividend, and in that year disposed of a realised 

 surplus of $183,000. The " Saskatchewan Co-operative 

 Elevator Company " was launched in 191 1. It number? 

 25,000 members, with more than 600 local associations. The 

 " Alberta Farmers' Co-operative Elevator Company " was 

 formed in 1912. It has now 15,000 members and 500 local 

 associations, and is said to realise an annual profit of $400,000. 

 One most encouraging feature attaching to American elevator 

 trading is this, that — in marked contrast with what has 



