140 THE FARMER AND THE NEW DAY 



the utmost efficiency of each agency and finds no place 

 for useless effort. 



5. Organization of the voluntary type can never be 

 exact or complete, in the sense of a machine-like order 

 or thoroughness, but it can be better than that, for it 

 can inspire each man and each group to do its best for 

 the common good in cooperation with all the rest. 



6. All schemes of organization must leave place for 

 new groupings, or soon we have a close corporation. 

 Each new effort to organize must justify itself by its 

 effectiveness, by demonstrating that it has a mission to 

 perform. 



7. Collective bargaining is the most pressing single 

 problem in rural organization at the present time. It 

 has been often said that business cooperation in agricul- 

 ture will come only as the result of dire necessity. This 

 is true, but the statement needs qualifying. Necessity 

 may drive farmers away from the farm instead of into 

 cooperation; farmers may give up in discouragement 

 rather than go to the trouble of organizing for business 

 ends. It is possible, although still difficult, to organize 

 farmers who are making a fair profit, if they feel that 

 they are not getting a square deal and could do better 

 by organization. Collective bargaining requires intel- 

 ligence, confidence in the idea of cooperation, and com- 

 plete loyalty these must be added to mere necessity. 

 One of our greatest difficulties in agricultural business 

 cooperation has been that the abler farmers often hold 

 aloof. Necessity is the mother of business coopera- 

 tion. Is the new demand for an organization of the 

 world's food supply a sufficient necessity to spur the 

 farmers of America to thorough-going organization for 

 collective bargaining? 



