Editor.Lorothy II. Bell *
Palmer,-f.laska Advertising.Harriot Z. Boll
Published once a wook at Palmer, Alaska, for the Matenuska Valley Earn
ers' Cooperating ^association for the purpose of giving news of ,thq
.^ssocipt ipns work, problems and accomplishments. -
SUBSCRIPTION RATE yl. 75_yl.00 for six 'months_10# a copy
THE ROLE OF CO-OPERATIVES
It is very encouraging to rend about our sister cooperatives in the
Philippines. The enthusiasm displayed emong the members and leaders is
very inspiring. Cooperatives appear to be giving them c nev; lease on
life. Magazine articles from there seem to glov; with new hope. Follow
ing is an article on "The Pole of Cooperatives" by Manuel Malana, Coop
erative Organizer.
"Cooperatives can play an. important role in solving the numerous problems
that confront farm production, problems pertaining to the economic uso
of soils, farm labor, agricultural finance, and price relations,.
"In most provinces where the fertility of the soil has reached its point
of diminishing returns, agrarian troubles, too, arise. Each year farm
ers witness the fruits of their labor dwindle in indirect proportion to
their swelling families. But such' a problem c.an be solved if soil ex
haustion and erosion are checked b" the intelligent and scientific -soil
conservation practices of farmers. In cooperative associations they
could pool their experiences together—experiences with regards to fer
tilizers, moil conservation, rotation of plants best suited to the soil
of their locality, fallowing, and contour farming'. Through thoir coop
erative associations they could solicit the (id of government•experts
in- helping solve their problems ih soil fertility, irrigation, etc. -
"’.hen it comes to the greatest single problem in farm produc t i on- - agri
cultural finance—farmers, whether farming on a small scale or largo
scale, can resort to their cooperative.associations to help them secure
agricultural loans from government agencies such as the Rehabilitation
Finance Corporation, the PACSA, tho Department of agriculture. ;Ouch
loans may be in cash or it may come,in tho_form of work animals, farm
implements and machineries or seedlings. Through thoir cooperative As
sociations, they could arrange to pay back such loans with the-produce
of their farms with facility, “horeas, if they act individually, they
could hardly work out a wc^r to secure such loans without undergoing
great sacrifices and expense.
"Cooperative associations can determine for the farmers what cash crop
they could best raise for the market. Through their cooperatives, they
could pool their products for reserves to maintain price level equitable
to both producers and consumers. . Pooling for sky-high prices is denied
in cooperatives for the consequence of such a practice is the boosting . \
up of prices of imported goods and u higher remunerative demand by labor.
In short, social unrest ensues, ky joining the cooperative movement
equitable price relations in the community could bo maintained.
"Tlie income of fanners depends to no small extent upon the stability of
prices on farm products. To maintain the stability of prices one must
do away with all the forces that bring about the .fluctuation of prices
and the most dominant of all those are the middlemen. Every farmer is
acquainted with the: techniques of middlemen, how ho lends money to the
farmers at planting season or supplies their everyday needs to be paid
back at hrrvost time with the farmers’produce with prices set for the
Donefit of the middlemen' end how these products are hoarded and later
sold at sky-high prices during periods of scarcity.
" In a cooperative, farm products are sold directly to the consumers,
stability of prices will be maintained, labor strikes due to demand for
higher wages resulting from the high cost of commodities are done away
with. Peace and order is injured. ' .
"Formation of cooperative associations is conducive to a higher standard
of living* By establishing cooperatives, th- people in a community can
free themselves from the clutches of middlemen who got richer and richer
at the expense of the poor farmers if they continue trying to solve
_Cont. .on. pa&a-3._