VALLEY SETTLER
Published every Friday at Palmer,;
Alaska by the Matanuska Valley
Farmer's Cooperating Association. j
_By C. R. RASMUSSEN._
Subscription by mail $1,75
" local 1.00
Single copy_ . 10._
EDITORIAL.
In a recent issue of La Follet's
"Frogressiveu an account of the re
fusal of one of the large Rational
Broadcasting Companies to accept a
program prepared by a Nationally
known Cooperative leader, in which
it was desired to explain the ideal
for which the Cooperatives stand
and what the cooperatives are try
ing to oo. The Radio people ex
plained that the Cooperative ques
tion was too "Controversial" to be
allowed to go on the air.
We might think that this action
was the result of some stupid offi
cial if we wore not aware that most
jf the largest and most powerful
business men in the country are
violently opposed to Cooperatives,
and despit the fact that many of *•
cur professional men includin0 Doc
tors, LawvciS, Clergymen and Educat
ors claim that they are all .out for
the Cooperative movement, their
records show that this is not true
and that they are only interested
to the extent thar they can profit
by their contacts with Cooperatives
and their members-. Business men
are opposed to Cooperatives because
Cooperatives offer a method by
which the individual member can se
cure the full value of his money in
services, commodities and get the
full return for products sold to
Marketing agencies, no middlemen
get a dig at the profits.and it is
true that as the Cooperatives grow
the private interests must decline.
Any other analysis can not be cor
rect.
Perhaps the Broadcasting Co, does,
not have any prejudice against the !
Cooperatives personally, but they
too must make their trend and but
ter by selling advertising, natur
ally the 1'rcest contributors re
ceive the most favors and big busi
ness is the big money for them,
Cooperatives beint newer and less
powerful financially have to take
a back seat because big business
does’nt like them. However one
t'nirg_ works to the advantage of the
Cooperatives and that is due to the
fa.ct that most Cooperative members
are from the two underprivileeed
classes, namely the farmers and the
l' borin^ people,. These people have
been used to beinto that way for so
lon^ that they must have a feeling
of inferiority and that naturally
throws tnem into movements that
mi0ht nelp them in their struggle
for existence, namely farm organ
izations, l-bor unions and Coopera
Lives.
Ordinarily people only join Coop
eratives because they think that it
will be of financial aid to them,
unlike Churches, Political parties
and Fraternal Orders, the average
Cooperative member joins a Coopera
tive because it offers an aid to a
better existence by mnkin0 the in
come of the individual more effec
tive by securin0 more for their
money when they purchase the necess
itios of life a.nd services that
every one must have. Successful
Cooperatives enable the member to
attain a. much higher standard of
living and a chance to secure a
part of the wealth created in the
process of buildin^ a successful
community.
A moral for the benefit of the
Members of our Cooperative is to
be had in the above and that is to
be sure to search for the motive
back of any movement to disrupt
the working of your Cooperative.
Find out why the agitator is so
critical and who he really repre
sents, if you can connect some bus
iness or perfessional man who is
tryinfc to compete with the Cooper
ative with the agitation then they
arc not working for your interests.