278 THE FARMER AS A COOPERATOR. 



ing the same analytic method to the known facts and condi- 

 tions of any other industry in which he may be interested, 

 and taking into consideration the special infirmities of human 

 nature which have been pointed out, can very well judge 

 whether, and to what extent, cooperative effort in distribution 

 is likely to lead to economic gain. My own conclusion is that 

 under some circumstances, and in some industries, economic 

 gain may be expected from cooperative methods applied to the 

 entire progress of the product from the hands of the producer 

 to the wholesale merchant; in other cases, the entire possible 

 gain will be achieved by confining those methods to the initial 

 stages of the work, that is, the concentration, leaving the actual 

 distribution to be effected by competitive methods; in still 

 other cases perhaps competition unhampered can best do the 

 woi'k. It depends upon the facts in each case. Human nature 

 will be found very much the same everywhere.* 



One thing is certain : cooperation based entirely on senti- 

 ment offers no hoi)e of economic gain. It will be mismanaged 

 and will probably fail. It must be a business organization, 

 based and conducted on business principles, expecting no 

 unpaid or half-paid service of any value, but always ready to 

 compete in the market for such talent and labor as it needs, 

 and not expecting to secure able management for any less 

 compensation than the same ability can obtain in competitive 

 service. All hope of economic gain depends on this; for it is 

 on industrious and intelligent attention to detail that the 

 success of either cooperative or competitive business depends, 

 and this attention can only be continuously obtained by the 

 expectation and enjoyment of adequate reward. 



*The possibilities of societies of cooperative purchasers, that is, coopera- 

 tive "stores," reachiiio;oiit to obtain their supplies from cooperative societies of 

 producers, which are often alluded to, I purposely pass over, because they are 

 merely possibilities. It would, of course, form the next step in the social evolu- 

 tion which is the dream of many. I think, however, that an associated society 

 of small purchasers would be hard customers to sell to, and that they would 

 find societies of producers the worst possible lot to buy from. They would 

 doubtless agree in the desire to crowd out the " middli'man," but each side 

 would expect all the profit of the transaction. Of course a cooperative store 

 would take the place of any otlicr retailer in distribution. 



