VALLEY SET ILER
Published once a week in Palmer,
Alaska for the Matanuska Valley
Farmers' Cooperating Association,
for the purpose of riving news of
the Association's work, problems
and accomplishments.
By... Lucille Le Due
^1.75.per year
10^.per copy
MILESTONES IN THE
MARCH OF TIME
The people of the Matanuska Valley
are marc ing on. Each year for
fourteen years the members of the
Co-op) have passed a new milestone.
Each year has been a year to make
progress and learn something about
the benefits of co-operation.
Co-operatives as business organ
izations are very much like Democ
racies in political action. Some
times they are so slow, that the
quicker and less patient members
can't stand the strain and withdraw
and go it alone. Usually though,
these selfsame persons reap the
benefits of the co-operative action
of the members that remain, because
the longstanding members stabilize
the farm economy in the districts
in which they work. Practically
everyone who was raised on a farm
knows what happens when every farm
er tries to sell all of his farm
products without the aid of a sales
a-ency. The middlemen usually take
more of the money re'e dived from the
sale cf the farmers products than
the man who raised i't.
Sure, v/c have a lot of mealymcuth
ed individuals who will handle our
crops for us; And they make it
sound good until they yet a chance
to squeeze us, when they get con
trol. The farmers in the Matanuska
Valley have had this experience and
should remember what it was like. I
think most of U3 do remember, and
don't want it to happen again.
Co-operatives wcre formed to take
care of this kind of thing and, de
spite the unfavorable publicity they
have received in the past, they are*
doing a good job. The best sign of
she effectiveness of the co-opera
tives, is the loud squeals of the'ir
competitors. They are being re
strained and forced to conduct their
business on a fair and equitable
basis where they have good co-opera
tives for competition.
The fight to force the REA and
Co-operative telephones out of bus
iness is a pretty good example. The
big power companies have had a mon
opoly for so long that it really an
tagonizes them to see some fair
dealing agency get into the same
line and give them competition.
I
When the writer came to the Mnt
[anuska Valley during the summer of
193T^ it v/as one of the -.lost dis
satisfied and disorganized commun
ities that v;c had ever boon in. The
Colonists complained about the man
agement of the Colony and Relieved
it would bo impossible to continue
jthe project. Most of them were not
interested in trying to make a go
of it, they were so thorou ;hly de
feated that they were unable tc 3ec
any good in the whole thing. Many
Argued that it was not a farming
country and that agriculture would
fail; others argued that the market
v/as so limited that.it would bo im
possible to soil their' products
even if they were able to raise
them. The only market -for dairy
products was cream and it brought
but 3bi P<-r butterfot pound; spuds
v/cre 31.75 hundred and only a
li-i,ted amount could be marketed.
Eggs brought 30^ a dozen, practic
ally everything else was about the
same. Any faiminded person must
admit that it did look bad.
Now, on the other hand '-.he Colony
Corporation officials wore dissatis
fied with the Colonists and wanted
to get rid of them. They tried to
blame the whole thing on the farm
ers. This included a lot of mis
takes that they themselves had made.
The Colonists had a very small
chance to get a hearing in Washing
ton, D.C. because the- were so ut
terly disorganized. The Colony off
icials wore listened to with great
(respect. When any high Government
officials came tc Alaska to invest
igate, they were promptly surround
ed by the officials hero, and the
politicians, and thorc was no in
vestigation at all. It went on
this way 'until I9I4.O ’and finally the
Government sent a bunch of Auditors
here to find out what was wrong.
This audit determined the facts and
the Co-op was' turned over to the
(people. From then on wo have been
yaking progress. The Co-op has had
Its ups and downs, but it has con
tinued to*grow and serve the people
of the community.
There is nothing that can stop it
except its ovm members. When they
begin to quarrel and fi -ht, it can
bo broken. We need have no fear
from those who do not like the idea
of co-operatives as long as we stick
together and work for the benefit
of all our members. Wishing each
continued on pa~o 3