PALMER ALASKA._•': ::: •: •_CARL RASMUSSEN. .EDITOR.
publishe every Friday, at Plamcr, Alaska, for the Matanuska Valley
Farmers Cooperating Association, for the purpose of giving news of the
Associations work,problems and accomplishments & news of. general interst
Subscription by mail,$ 1.75 yearly. Box $ 1.00, Single Copy 10#
WHAT SHOULD CO-OPS ADVERTISE?
A short time ago a very intelligent and well informed writer, write
ing in a well known weekly magazine,,who is connected with a large and
successful Cooperative orginizntion in the Eastern part of the U.S.
made the statement that most of the appeals that were made for joining
Co-ep's and to bolster member interest, were very ineffective, because
they were based on benifits that were mostly illusionary, os far as the
average Co-op. is concerned.
He thinks that when appeals are made on the basis of social or cultral
benifits to the member, or when claims are made that it will inagurate
a njw way of life that will benifit the member, regardless of the
financial benifits, that the appeal is mostly based on hot air, and
that actualy the only benifit comes through favorable financial benifits.
His opinion is that unless.the promoters .can show that the now member
rill be able to save money on his consumer purchases, get better service
and build up reserves from purchasing savings dividends, that they have
have failed to make a case for the Cooperative way of life.
All of this is food for though on the part of Co-op. members, for we
have nil been subjected to speeches,and articles In our Co-op. paparrs
that left the Impression that we were all fellow members of a great *
movement that would, change the way of life to a better and brighter
wor-ld, whore producers and consumers would all become equal and in time
no unjust or unfair methods would be possiablc.. ■
The writer thinks that Co-op's probably will be different in America
than elsewhere, because we ns Americans are different than most other
people who follow Cooperative practice, there is undoubtnbly reasons for
believing this because, we Americans as a whole seem to be more impress
ed with the value and power of the Almighty Dollar than most nations.
Perhaps our Co-op's 'should center their interest on the dollar and cents
value of our membership, because that is what we desire most and mabe
we are just wnsteing our time on anything else.
All of this reasoning leaves the writer just a little bewildered
bec;use we have hoped and believed that Co-op's would help to make the
world a more humane and just place to live -in, but on second .thought,
we find reason to doubt if such a thing is possible when we consider
b.ev.' slov; and unsure most of the orginizations that were formed for this
purpose have worked and hew small their influence has been. Fr.* tern&l
Orginizations, some churches and. patriotic orginizations as well,have
been preaching just this thing for lo.' these many years, ritur Is have
been read and forms have been observed, that would have accomplished
the purposes for which they were oi*ginizcd, if the mass of the people
had been interested or the persons doing the orginizing and preaching
had been sincere and truly fraternal in practice, spiritual in living
and thoughtful of others less fortunate than themselves.
Perhaps we have been expecting too much from the Cooperative movement
and should get back to just the Dollars and Cents view in order to get
the most out of the Co-op. But still we wonder, is this right ?'.: