1
VALLEY SEI I LE.R
Publish.ed once a week In Palmer,
Alaska for the Matanuska Valley
Farmers' Co-operating Association,
for the purpose of giving news of
the Association's work, problems
and accomplishments.
By-Lucille Le Due
$1.75
10
per yoar
per copy
THE UNINFORMED MEMBER
IS A WEAK ONE
BY-GOVERNOR DUGGAN
A Houso organ is sometimes the
missing link between a cooperative
and its members whereas it should
be a strong connecting link, comm
ents I.W. Duggan, Governor of the
Farm Credit Administration, "I
know of few, if any, really good
strong well-operated cooperatives
that do not keep their members well
informed."
"Not long ago I dropped in on a
cooperative manager for a chat.
Rather naturally, the subject was
the financial condition of the or
ganization. The manager pulled out
of his pocket a typewritten finan
cial statement, which, by the way,
could be interpreted only by an ex
pert. I studied it, and in a casu
al way asked if this v/as the kind
of statement he mailed to the mem
bers ."
"'It's our statement, and I don't
mail it,' he replied.
"That was rather mystifying, so I
talked some rpore and the manager
finally came up with this:
"'We never print a statement; just
put it on the blackboard at the time
of the annual meeting. That way our
competition can't sec whnt we are
doing.'
"I might have asked him if he ‘
tholight the ostrich fooled anybody
when he stuck his head in the sand.
Instead, I asked, '1‘/hat percentage
of your members come out to the ann
ual meeting?' He replied 25
"This manager hadn't yet learned
that a co-op's affairs should be and
must be as visible as the well-known
goldfish. This co-op had no house
organ and almost no personal contact
with its members except at annual
mootings when one out oi iour at
tended.
"Just by way of contrast: The
other day I dropped in on a milk co
op-a very successful one, doing
business twenty years or more over
many countios. Our conversation
turned to the subject of keeping
members inforned. This manager
3aid: ’Of course, wo get out a week
ly letter. Our members drop every
thing when they got it and road it.
I'm not stretching it a bit-some
times they are waiting at the mail
box for it to arrive. You see, we
|not only tell them all of our bus
iness, but wo give them the latost
quotes on feed and milk.'
'Another big, successful dairy
cooperative says of its house organ,
which it dignifies with the term
'official publication,' 'It is one
of the most important parts of your
organization. The detailed and acc
urate information presented to you
in each issue concerning important,
timely matters should be of unlim
ited intorest to you. 'The inform
ation under 'briefs' is of current
nature. The other briefs arc the
connecting links of information be
tween the district meetings, summer
rallies, and your annual meeting.
Read 'briefs' and keep informed.
"It takes all kinds to make a
horse race, but I'm betting on the
co-op that keeps its members in
formed, and a good house organ is a
part of the job."
fi.H.D. nEULlS
JUNEAU-Miss Sarah Edmunds,
laughter of Mr. and Mrs. Chris Ed
munds of Anchorage, arrived in Ju
neau this week enroute back home
Iwhere she will be employed as a
public health nurse at the ^nchor
p.ge Health Center.
■
| Miss Edmunds, who was born in the
!ook Inlet city, has been in Chica
o during the past year whore she
tudied public health nursing at
oyola University. She completed
equirements for her,Bachelor cf
cien.ce degree with a major in pub
[lic health nursing at the end of the
summer session. Last fall she was
awarded a scholarship sponsored
jointly by the /.laska Federation of
Women's clubs and the ..laska Health
department for her public health
nursing course.
Her parents have been ..laska res
idents for more than 30 years. Mr.
Edmunds was ARC superintendent in
the Interior until his retirement
recently and Mrs. Edmunds came to
Alaska as a nurse in 1918.