COLLECTIVE BARGAINING 177 



the association to perfect a stock company which should 

 sell the members' milk and even acquire country plants, if 

 necessary. After considerable controversy, the company 

 was organized and enough stock sold to enable it to secure 

 a charter, which it did on November i, 191 8. The com- 

 pany has a capital stock of $500,000, divided into ten 

 thousand shares of the par value of I50. No member may 

 own over five shares. It is said that there are not over 

 twenty members out of about six thousand shareholders 

 who have over one share. ^ 



The company began operation February 15, 191 9. Up 

 to November 11, 191 9, it had sold over $13,000,000 worth 

 of milk.2 The association is managed by an executive 

 committee of five who have immediate supervision of 

 the management.' The stockholders at each annual meet- 

 ing elect nine directors for a term of three years, thus mak- 

 ing twenty-seven directors. They in turn elect the officers 

 from among their number. 



The producers contract for the sale of their milk directly 

 with the association under the self-renewing contract 

 already quoted. The company then sells as best it can 

 to the various dealers in Chicago and vicinity. The milk 

 is paid for through the company, which in turn makes 

 payments for milk coming from centers in which there are 

 manufacturing plants through local banks in such centers. 

 A commission of one per cent of sales is charged to cover 

 its operating expenses. A slightly higher charge is made 

 on can shippers who ship directly to Chicago.* 



A group of organizations worth noting is that in Cali- 



1 Milk News, June, 1919. 



' Prairie Farmer, Nov. 12, 1919, special edition. 



' Milk News, Jan., 1920, p. 2. 



• Ibid., June, 1919, p. 6. 



