COOPERATIVE PURCHASING AND MARKETING ORGANIZATIONS. 41 



THE NEW ENGLAND STATES. 



The New England group of States reported a total of 157 marketing 

 organizations. Of this number 61 are creameries, 49 are miscella- 

 neous, 27 handle fruit and produce, 19 are stores, and 1 is a grain 

 elevator. 



REPRESENTATIVE TYPES OF COOPERATIVE ORGANIZATIONS. 



Requests for more detailed information were sent out to some of 

 the larger cooperative associations and also to organizations typical 

 of a certain class or illustrative of some special development along 

 cooperative lines. The data secured from the replies to these requests 

 furnished the basis for the brief statements which follow. This infor- 

 mation is included in order to show what is being accomplished by 

 some of the cooperative organizations. 



These particular organizations were selected because more detailed 

 information as to their methods of operation was available for them 

 than for other representative cooperative associations. A great many 

 cooperative companies besides those mentioned here are worthy of 

 study and special consideration by students of cooperation and by 

 those who are contemplating the formation of new cooperative 

 enterprises. 



THE CALIFORNIA FRUIT GROWERS' EXCHANGE. 



The California Fruit Growers' Exchange is a cooperative organiza- 

 tion of citrus growers through which over 60 per cent of the citrus 

 fruit shipped out of California is distributed. The annual report of 

 the general manager for the year ending August 31, 1916, shows that 

 the exchange shipped 24,024 cars of oranges and grapefruit and 

 5,799 cars of lemons during the year. The amount returned to the 

 growers for this fruit exceeded $27,000,000. At present over 8,000 

 growers are members of the exchange. 



The growers are organized into local associations, which in turn 

 are members of district exchanges, and these are united in the central 

 exchange. The local associations are made up of the growers in a 

 community, the membership ranging from 40 to 200. The fruit is 

 assembled and prepared for shipment by the local associations. The 

 district exchanges order cars for the local associations in their re- 

 spective districts, keep records of the cars shipped, receive the returns 

 from the central exchange and distribute the proceeds to the local 

 associations, and keep the local associations informed with regard to 

 matters pertaining to the industry. The central exchange provides 

 the facilities for the distribution and marketing of the fruit of its 

 members. 



The California Fruit Growers' Exchange has agencies in the prin- 

 cipal markets of the United States and Canada which represent the 

 exchange and its members exclusively. In this way the exchange is 



