IN FOOD DISTRIBUTION 13 



of individuals because of pireponderating importance in the 

 organization should cause it to become a miniature despo- 

 tism or oligarchy. If any member feels that his influence 

 or power in the association is so insignificant that he is in 

 no way able to affect its general policy he is quite likely to 

 sever his connection with it. Conservatism and "safety 

 first" are principles ingrained in farmers. And the average 

 producer is not going to entrust his means of livelihood to 

 an agency over which he has no control, even if it offers 

 an apparent advantage in the disposition of his crops. 



Although a society for marketing may come within the 

 definition of a cooperative organization and still pay divi- 

 dends on stock, the practice is fraught with danger. Enough 

 promising associations have succumbed to the dividend 

 malady to justify postulation of a non-profit basis as one 

 of the principles of real marketing cooperation. 



A point which has received relatively slight consideration 

 in most expositions of cooperation, but which seems of 

 especial importance, is what might be termed "competitive 

 cooperation." There is practical unanimity of conviction 

 among economic thinkers that efficient production requires 

 the spur of self-interest. On this ground the defence of 

 private property is most frequently and most logically 

 based. So far, advocates of socialism and cooperative 

 effort of various forms have failed to convince the majority 

 of thinkers that their schemes offer substitutes, equivalent 

 in motivating force, for private property and competition. 

 Therefore if a cooperative plan can be made to include those 

 features of beneficial competition which are believed so 

 largely to have formed the basis of economic progress it 

 can enlist the adherents of a much wider group of thinkers 

 than would otherwise be the case. Still more important, 

 the history of cooperative enterprises declares in unmis- 

 takable terms that the principles of brotherhood do not 



