•_ PALMAR, AL/.SKl.___
Published every Friday at Palmer, Alaska, for the Matanuske '/all
ey 1armers Cooperating Association, for the purpose of giving news c.
ti Association's work, problems, and accomplishments. _
SUBSCRIPT JO*1 BY M/.IL—$1.75 YEARLY BQX--i$1.00_SINGLE COPY- TQ^
F~ RURAL HOSPITALS
A good postwar freobrnmendation
has- been made in the U. S. Depart
ment of Agriculture. It provides
”for the transfer to local govern
nents, without cost, of surplus
medical equipment and medical sup
plies, wMch will be disposed of by
the Army and Navy at the end of the
war.” These supplies wo'-ld be used
in equipping hospitals in rural
communities. They are needed there
mo”e seriously than anywhere else.
Rusal America docs not now enjoy a
parity in health facilities. The
hospitals that have been establish
ed in rural areas have been of wide
spread usefulness. There is urgent
need for more of them. No better
use could be found for these surplus
medical facilities left over after
the war. When a national program
for their disposal is finally ar
ranged, agriculture should be repre
ss -rd arid given a priority. % Local
co unities could well begin look
in into the matter now, ns one of
their afterwar developments. Their
influence would, help to influence
the disposal the right way.
POLICIES OF COOFFRATIVTSS
Were it not so serious it
.ould be la ugh able to find 'opposi
tion to farmer marketing, coopera
tives charging them with being so
cialistic. But some folks may act
ually be misled into believing that
absurd^ ty.
A true cooperative is just a
bout as socialistic as the packing
industry, tbe mining industry, the
automobile industry, the farm im
plement manufacturing industry or
any other private enterprise whose
f-vners or stockbckders invest their
' ney \r business, meet the costs
of production and marketing and re
turn to shareholders such dividends
as the business may earn.
The farmer members of cooper
atives have their capital Invested
in their farms, which are t'heir
primary factories. They take part
of the return from their products
with which to finance the market
ing activities of their associa
tions. If and when, through suc
cessful manatement--whIoh always is
subject to the direction of e. be:- rd
of member-directors--there Is a
balance*" in the association treasury
when the marketing period Is com
pleted,that balance is return l to
the producers just as dividends
from any other private business are
returned to the investors In that
business.
The true cooperatives of this
coutry, large 'and small, rest up o
the same basic principles upon
which all s'ound private enterpri>, ■
is- conducte’d--investment of capiAf-l,
efficient management’, und distri -
tion of such profits as there m
be to'the- ownehs and stockholders,
who in a cooperative are one anc’
the same.