lUDINOS STATE BAIRYMjBN'S AS'SOIOIATION. 133 



the good of all parties. There is the sturtibling block over 

 which so many fall. Now, how to persuade the milk pro- 

 ducers, the patrons, to understand this, is something that 1 

 have been at work for twenty years to bring about, and I have 

 not entirely succeeded yet. I am well aware that I have some 

 patrons at my factories who think that I am getting it all, 

 and that they are not responsible; that they have very little 

 to do except to send up their milk and draw their pay. But, 

 I have a great many who do fully realize that they are part- 

 ners and that they should work for the success of the concern 

 by doing their very best in every way to secure the best milk 

 and bring about the success of the factory. 



Mr. Monrad: I think Mr. Johnson should say something 

 about the creamery men looking out for the interests of the 

 patrons. 



Mr. Johnson: Self-interest comes in there and the fac- 

 tory man who does not look to the interest of his patrons will 

 very soon lose his job. 



The Cha*irman: In many cases there is not the proper 

 feeling between the patrons and the creamery managers, and 

 I think a free discussion on this question would be a good 

 thing for both sides. Let us hear from Mr. Wilcox. 



Mr. Wilcox: My principle is that what is to the patrons' 

 interest is for my interest, and what is my interest is theirs. 

 My patrons all know that if they are careless of their milk, 

 they have got to suffer as well as I do, and I think they are 

 taking better care of their milk all the time. They are some- 

 times careless by leaving the milk in the barn, and I have to 

 persuade them that it is not to their interest to do that. 



Mr. Johnson: I think that many of us are negligent and 

 careless in not letting our partners know the ins and outs 

 of the business as much as we ought to. When we start to 

 run a factory upon the dividend plan, every man who bring.s 

 his milk to that factory is entitled to know what becomes of 

 the proceeds of that factory, and he is entitled to look at your 

 books, or if he cannot understand them himself, he should get 

 an expert, and if an expert (;annot understand them, then they 

 should be fixed so he can; but the patron should not go too 

 far. He is entitled to know how much the butter sells for, 

 how his milk tested, how his neighbor's milk tests and what 



