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WISCONSIN RURAL ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE ASSOCIATION
                    Educational Activity
    Cooperation-the act of working jointly together-was the underlying
principle in calling the first meeting of the STATEWIDE staff. Employees
were located throughout the state and a closed acquaintanceship was
deemed beneficial to the organization and to individuals.
    Participation was very general and as the spirit of the meetings
developed we experienced a consciousness of a unified purpose, solved joint
problems of field and office, evolved procedures, and gave to far com-
munities a more pronounced feeling of membership.
    During the season while gathering scattered groups from scattered
places was feasible, five meetings were held, the last two at the invitation
of the local cooperatives:
             APRIL 29, 1937-PARK HOTEL, Madison
             JUNE 23, 1937-IsLAND RESORT, Juneau County
             JULY 31, 1937-HOTEL CRANDALL, Wisconsin Dells
             AUGUST 28, 1937-Arcadia
             OCTOBER 9, 1937-Westby
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     An outgrowth of a suggestion presented at the first staff meeting, is
the monthly bulletin of information issued under the title, "Contact".
     News stories of projects, announcements from the office, staking costs,
construction progress, charts and graphs are published.
     About 200 copies are distributed to employees, local cooperative
board members and to educational cooperative organizations and interested
individuals. The total monthly cost to date averages less than four dollars.
     Each issue is filed, thus providing a permanent month-by-month
record of progress and activity of STATEWIDE's ever-growing membership.
                            Conclusion
     The preparation of the first year book of the Wisconsin Rural Electric
Cooperative Association has gone forward with a three-fold purpose:
       1. To assemble for member cooperatives a concise report
          of their organization;
       2. To provide a record for posterity of the part played by
          STATEWIDE in this epoch making program of building
          rural electric lines, and
       3. To strengthen the cause of cooperatives and to stimulate
          interest by the faithful recording of the activities of this
          fast-growing member of the family of cooperatives.
     Material for graphs and reports has been compiled from office records;
 in the case of department reports, we are indebted to department heads
 whose signatures appear; to the assistant secretary of the Board of Directors
 for the summary of the records of their meetings; and to each project
 superintendent or secretary for his-reply to the questionnaire on which
 we based the history of the local cooperatives. We wish to take this
 opportunity to thank the above mentioned people and all others who have
 st. willingly participated in the preparation of this report.
     Perhaps we have omitted information that would have been of interest
 and value; if so, it was not done intentionally and we hope that our
 readers may gain from the study of this little book, a wholehearted respect
 for the cooperative farmers of Wisconsin and for the work of the Builders,
 the Wisconsin Rural Electric Cooperative Association.
                              CHRISTINE QUAmME, Editor
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