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12 WISCONSIN CRANBERRY GROWERS' ASSOCIATION
nothing to derail their train off the track. You are going to propel
it, and it is going to stop in those stations even though there is no
one to step on. But some day there will be people who will want to
get on. They will want service. Is the private man going to render
it in times of hard luck? No. Is the freight charge in accordance
with the price? High freight rates are paid by the farmers because
these dealers have received stuff selected at low prices. The freight
is often so high that they have to bill it back. These people go back
on the farmer in hard times, and only co-operative organizations can
function reasonably well in hard times. These facts make it worth
all the time and trouble it takes to build it up.
I can give you illustrations in the Cranberry Exchange. The organ-
ization sometimes gets $16.00 a barrel when the outsider gets only
$14.00 a barrel. The underlying reason is that it averages the best
results over the long run.
Some people have been interpreting a business point of view in too
short a time. As G. Harold Powell says, "There is no private concern
whatsoever that can make a machine to adequately market California
fruit." He knows. What these benefits of cooperative marketing
are, I have tried to present very briefly.
I have here a brief statement made from studies that have been
conducted over quite a period of time. You perhaps got some of
these last year, but as a result of the study since that time, we have
tried to study concisely and briefly the fundamental benefits of co-
operative marketing. Three are tangible; the other five are spiritual.
A man who makes up his mind that a certain line of conduct is the
best when times look dull will reap his reward. Those are what I
have called intangible benefits. One hundred thirty co-operative or-
ganizations all over the United States at first had seven benefits, and
one organization said, "Why don't you add that co-operative organ-
ization will develop leadership for the farmers?" You can't have
leadership without responsibility. We don't get Washingtons and
Lincolns every day, because we have no need of them every day. It
takes a need to bring out people who can fulfill and deliver the goods.
If the farmer wants to better his lot, and the cranberry grower in
particular, he should develop his leadership; and that is one of the
things you have been doing, and you have now some of the finest
leadership in the country.
This co-operative organization says that one of the greatest ben-
efits is that it develops real leadership among people. I want to com-
pliment this corporation that I have never met a group of people
who have worked together and have such kindly relations, partly be-
cause you are a small group, and you are acquainted. The thing
needed is that you get the other 200% to join with you, because you will
have a larger and better machine if you do. Your plans are not go-
ing to be derailed, because there is no opposition to derail your