Volume 6, No. 2, June, 1918

Page sixteen
The Internationalist
THE
Fighting With Co-operation
By C- F. Lowrie, President American Society of Equity
American Society of Equity is a result of the spontaneous
demand of the wheat farmers of Montana for
a larger share of the products of their labor as represented
in the price of wheat. The low prices for the three
years preceding the war, when most of it was raised at a loss
to the farmers, was the impelling cause of the organization.
A directing force for the sentiment created by these conditions
was the more or less closely thought-out plans of a number
of natural revolutionists, who had been wage-slaves in the
cities, factories and mines, and had obeyed the call of "back
to the land." The central idea of these people was the elimination
of the exploitation between the producer on the farm
and the workingman consumer in the city, factory and mine.
The American Society of Equity distinguished itself from
other farm organizations by allying itself with the Trade Union
movement, the latter being affiliated with the State Federation
of Labor.
The first business done in a co-operative way was the buying
of twine for the 1914 crop, which resulted in a saving
of over $100,000 for the farmers of
the state of Montana. This was followed
by a great deal of co-operative
buying and selling on the elub-order
plan. However, as a result of experience
gained in this work and a study
of the development of co-operation in
Europe, it was soon determined by
those in charge of the Society that
co-operation, in order to become permanent
must be organized along the
lines that had proven so successful in
Europe. So that now, there has been
a gradual evolution in the methods of
the organization, until as a result, we
now have a state wholesale association,
called the Equity Co-operative
Association of Montana, with a capital
stock of $500,000, over $125,000 of
which is subscribed, doing business as
THOSE
battle
a wholesale agent for twenty co-operative
stores now operating and seventy-five co-operative grain
elevators. The local Co-operative stores and elevators own
the shares of stock in the Central association. Each local
store and elevator does business in a wholesale way with the
Central association. Co-operative retail stores have also been
organized in three of the principal cities of the state, namely,
Great Falls, Butte, and Helena; and others are in the process
of organization in the other industrial centers of the state.
As an illustration of what this organization will mean in
the future when completely organized, I will say that the
major share of the apple crop which is raised in the Western
part of the state, was marketed through this co-operative
organization last year. Arrangements for assembling the car
loads were made by the co-operative stores at the local
points; the State Wholesale association arranged the sales in
car lots to the co-operative stores and elevators in other parts
of the state which did not raise fruit and not a middleman
touched these apples so handled from the time they left the
hands of the grower until they reached the consumers.
During all this development a running fight has been
fought with the big commercial interests. Just one instance
in the forefront of the
for the establishment of
permanent co-operation, believe
that co-operation will prove a great
factor in the coming Social Revolution
in Russia and Great Britain.
Already the farmers and trades
unionists
of North and South Dakota,
Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan
and Illinois are seriously considering
affiliating with the new
National
subsidiary of the big Washburn-Crosby Flour trust of Minneapolis,
refused to unionize their plant. The Central Labor
bodies, including the Equity farmers declared the flour unfair.
The retail stores of Great Falls, through pressure
brought by the wholesalers, refused to handle any flour but
the unfair flour. The Clerks' union replied by refusing to
handle the scab flour. The retailers replied by closing every
store in town, except the Equity Consumers' League Co-operative
store. The Co-operative store was in financial difficulties
at the time and an implied threat was made, that unless
a certain $3500 obligation was paid the Co-operative
store would be closed. The Trade Unions and farmers
rallied to the support and raised the $3500 in two hours time.
As a result the stores were all opened the following day, -as
the co-operative store was getting all the trade. As a result
the Union Labor of the city was placed squarely behind the
Co-operative store and success for the future seems assured.
Another result is to stimulate the plan for a million-dollar
co-operative flour mill to be located at Great Falls; nearly
$50,000 worth of stock is already
subscribed by co-operative stores and
Co-operative Wholesale.
elevators and within a years time the
co-operative mill will undoubtedly be
one of the biggest mills in the state
of Montana. "
At the present writing the Mine
Workers' Union in Butte, which is on
strike against the Copper company is
backing the Equity Consumers' league
co-operative store at that point.
Those in the forefront of the battle
for the establishment of permanent
co-operation believe that co-operation
will prove a great factor in the
coming social revolution in America,
as it already has done in Russia and
Great Britain. As a result of the expansion
of the co-operative movement
in Montana, F. A. Bennett, the
man who has been chiefly responsible
and who by his sacrifices has made possible the success of
this organization, has been called to St. Paul to form a
national co-operative wholesale, which will develop the same
kind of an organization in other regions. Already the farmers
and trade unionists of North and South Dakota, Minesota,
Wisconsin, Michigan and Illinois are seriously considering
affiliating with the new national co-operative wholesale.
The Co-operative Wholesale Society of America, as it is
named, has offices "on the ninth floor of the Pioneer Building,
St. Paul, Minnesota.
The general plan of doing business is to imitate big business
is every way, except in the ownership of the business,
which is distributed among the whole people (that is the
working men and the farmers) and in the distribution of the
profits. After paying a nominal dividend amounting to current
interest rates on the capital stock, the remainder of the
profits are pro-rated back to the buyers and sellers in proportion
to the amount of business done. The time is now
ripe for permanent co-operation in America and we believe
the time is also ripe for the co-ordination of co-operation
with the ultimate forces which are making for the co-opera-
of these battles:
tive commonwealth, that world events may bring to pass
The Royal Milling Company of Great Falls, which is a sooner than some of us had dreamed for a few years ago.